Antonio Pappano

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is one of the most frequently performed pieces on stage. How do you personally approach the work?

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony carries on from the fourth the sense that destiny or fate is something every human being has to deal with in life. In Fact there is a motto theme of the piece, a dark, almost bleak opening, giving way to murmurs. The piece slowly accumulates impetus, expression and motoric movement. Tshaikovsky came to despise it, because he worried it was overblown, too much. But it became his most popular, because it tells a journey. Quite like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, it is the journey of despair evolving over time through challenge and obstacle and arriving at victory. This has a spiritual element, trying to find out where to go in life. There is a bipolarity in his music that I find very interesting. It’s so human, flawed and modern.

How much scope does Tchaikovsky’s score allow for your interpretation?

Quite a lot, actually. The score is wonderfully detailed, but Tchaikovsky leaves room for personality and imagination. The challenge is finding the right balance. You have to allow the music to sing and breathe, but you also need discipline and structure. With Tchaikovsky, it’s very easy to become indulgent. The emotion is so immediate and so powerful. But if everything is emotional, then nothing stands out. The architecture has to support the passion.

Why does Beethoven’s Violin Concerto go so well with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony?

On the surface, the two pieces seem very different worlds. But what links them is their humanity. Both works are concerned with the inner life. Beethoven approaches it through clarity, balance and profound wisdom. Tchaikovsky approaches it through emotion, struggle and passion. Together, they create a very satisfying journey. The Beethoven invites us into a world of reflection and contemplation, and the Tchaikovsky takes those emotions and amplifies them into something larger and more dramatic. For an audience, it’s a wonderfully complete evening.

What makes Beethoven’s Violin Concerto so unique?

Well, I think what makes the Beethoven concerto unique is that it’s unlike any display piece. Of course, it requires tremendous technique, but Beethoven isn’t really interested in showing off. He’s interested in something much deeper. What always amazes me is the scale of it. It’s symphonic in its thinking. The violin emerges from the orchestra and becomes part of a larger conversation rather than standing apart from it. And then there’s the humanity of the piece – the generosity, the serenity, the wisdom. Beethoven creates this extraordinary atmosphere where everything feels inevitable, as though the music is discovering itself as it goes along.

When you think back to the rehearsals with the soloist Vilde Frang: where do your interpretative visions align – and where do tensions arise?

Usually, we’re all aiming for the same thing: to serve the music as honestly as possible. The discussions in rehearsals tend to be about pacing, about flexibility, about how much space a phrase needs. Sometimes a soloist wants a little more freedom somewhere, and the conductor is thinking about the larger architecture. Those are healthy conversations. I don’t really think of them as tensions. They’re part of the creative process.