The Conductors' Edition

Music Matters

Tom Service talks to two world-class conductors of today, Sir Antonio Pappano and Sir Simon Rattle, as they swap roles at the London Symphony Orchestra, and looks back at one of music history's first great conductors, Richard Wagner.

Four weeks ago, Sir Antonio Pappano was announced as the new Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra - he will leave his current role of Music Director at the Royal Opera at Covent Garden in 2024. Pappano also has a continuing role at the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia - and it’s from the Orchestra’s home in Rome that he speaks to Tom about his early life growing up in London, his plans for the LSO, and his thoughts on conducting during lockdown.

Richard Wagner was one of the great conductors of his day, and he wrote extensively about the about the philosophy as well as the technique of conducting. Chris Walton has made a new translation of Wagner's Essays on Conducting - writings which influenced generations of conductors for the next hundred years, and that still resonate with conductors today. Wagner's orchestral players used to say that they felt he was watching them all the time - Chris will be revealing why he thinks this might be so.

Sir Simon Rattle shocked the musical world in January when he announced that he would be graduating his role as Music Director at the London Symphony Orchestra to take a lifetime position as their Conductor Emeritus, and joining the Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra. He speaks to Tom about his relationship with the two ensembles, reflects on Wagner’s conducting legacy, and discusses the struggles of musicians during lockdown as well as the LSO’s recent special concert with and in support of freelance musicians.,He reveals who his number one composer is.

Tom pays tribute, too, to the German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, who died last weekend at the age of 93, He introduces a highlight from his visit to her for Music Matters in 2016, where she made a fascinating comparison between some of the great conductors she had worked with.