Performer: Sir Antonio Pappano

Sir Antonio Pappano the charioteer whips his forces to attack the fleeing Shostakovich in the Tenth Symphony at the Barbican. 

Prokofiev opens Seong-Jin Cho’s LSO Artist Portrait series, sandwiches between symphonies by Shostakovich and Beethoven. 

To launch his second season with the LSO, Sir Antonio Pappano parades his American inheritance with a blazing evocation of faith, hope and resilience. 

Buffetted from symphonies, opera and ballet to West End musicals, film scoring sessions, and maybe even Glastonbury, the life of the freelance musician can be as chaotic as it is thrilling.

The second half of this year’s Proms season heats up with visits from the Czech Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – along with operas by Bizet and Britten.

As he prepares to leave Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano reflects on his time at the helm of The Royal Opera and the Santa Cecilia, the state of the opera industry and on “reinventing himself” at the LSO.