After 22 years as music director of the Royal Opera House, Sir Antonio Pappano will soon take up the position of chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. He spoke with GstaadLife ahead of the two programmes he is conducting at this year’s Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy.

What is your connection with Gstaad and the Menuhin Festival?
I've been to Gstaad a couple of times with my former orchestra. I also have friends who live here, so for me it’s always been a place of reunion.

You’ll be conducting Elgar’s Violin Concerto. Can you share some insights about this work?
It's a three-movement piece comprising almost fifty minutes of music, which is quite unusual for a violin concerto. It’s as though Elgar couldn’t let go of it. It’s also profoundly emotional – a word not usually associated with English music.
You hear the first two bars of the orchestral introduction and you know it's Elgar because the harmonies are extremely personal to him. The second movement is very lyrical and warm while the last movement is tempestuous – a real fireball.
In this work, the orchestra is as vital as the solo part. This is wonderful because the orchestra is not just providing a carpet; they have a real dialogue with the soloist. It’s also a hugely challenging piece for the soloist, but I'm really looking forward to working with Vilde Frang because she’s such an amazing musician.

You’ve mentioned your affinity for music from the late 19th century, a time of significant historical upheaval. Do you think such periods of change inspire great composers?
Around any turn of the century and during periods of upheaval there will be an explosion of creativity, no question. They’re moments that hold great significance from an emotional and political standpoint; each composer and artist will react. It's part of who and what they are. I think that music always has something special to say.

Given society's challenges, we’re living in a time that demands transformation, much like the theme of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. How do you believe music can support us through these times?
Live music is very important because it only exists if there's an audience. And if you substitute the word community for audience, it’s about us coming together. There's an incredibly artistic, psychological and emotional component to music. Getting people to experience it together nourishes the participants and therefore nourishes society.

As a director of the London Symphony Orchestra, do you observe that major musical ensembles are also undergoing a transformation?
We live in challenging times and the financial component in particular is pretty demanding. Money is being pulled from the arts; it’s an easy go-to for governments especially as music education can be viewed as elitist, to which I take great offence.
I hope there is more acceptance that music is something that develops a brain and teaches young people about collaboration, listening and creativity. All those things are important for society, not only for music.
Institutions will only survive if they are resilient and have the strength of their convictions that they’re doing something really important. I hope that audiences and governments follow that vision.

How can we make classical music accessible and appealing to today’s younger audience?
One of the issues is getting young people exposed to music early enough - and not just the kids who have piano or violin lessons. Unfortunately, in many schools there is little to no musical exposure. I think that’s very misguided, and, of course, it’s the kids who are paying the price. It also makes it more difficult for us to build future audiences. It’s important for each institution to have an education department that works hard to reach the community.

What do you enjoy doing in Gstaad before or after a concert?
It depends on rehearsals - when you’re on tour there’s not much downtime – but it’s such a beautiful place that I’m always happy to be here. From a health and spiritual point of view, breathing the mountain air is so important for me; when I leave it’s like I’m tanked up for the next few months.

ANNA CHARLES