Antonio Pappano on Rossini's Sacred Music and Pandemic Challenges

Sir Antonio Pappano is conducting Rossini's Messa di Gloria at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome until January 29. In an interview, he discusses Rossini's youthful energy in the piece, composed in 1820 when the composer was 28, noting its grandeur and underperformance in Italy due to the need for high-level singers. Pappano compares Rossini's fearless approach to the sacred with Verdi's fear of divine judgment. He also addresses pandemic-era challenges: he conducts without a mask due to asthma, while the orchestra maintains distancing. He criticizes the closure of theaters in England while stadiums remained open, calling the situation catastrophic for short-term contract workers. At Covent Garden, there is no distancing in the orchestra pit, but string players must wear masks; the audience is not required to be vaccinated but must wear masks. Pappano's recent production of Le Nozze di Figaro in London was nearly full each night, with an almost entirely Italian cast. He has no upcoming Rossini projects but has conducted Guglielmo Tell and Semiramide in the past. The interview also promotes Artribune's newsletters and the interviewer Ludovico Pratesi.