Antonio Pappano Makes Carnegie Hall Debut with Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

This October, Music Director Antonio Pappano makes his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in two concerts at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. On Friday, October 20 at 8:00 p.m., the Orchestra performs Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 with Martha Argerich-who returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time in nine years-as well as the Sinfonia from Verdi's Aida and Resphigi's Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. A pre-concert talk begins at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Alain Frogley, Professor of Music History at the University of Connecticut.

The following evening, on Saturday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m., the Orchestra returns with The New York premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino's La Nuova Euridice secondo Rilke, featuring soprano Barbara Hannigan, on a program that also includes Mahler's Symphony No. 6 in A Minor.

About the Artists
Acclaimed for his charismatic leadership and inspirational performances in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Sir Antonio Pappano has been music director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since October 2005 and music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, since September 2002. He has also served as music director of Oslo's Den Norske Opera, where he made his international debut, and Brussels' Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, and as principal guest conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. As music director of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Mr. Pappano leads the Orchestra in numerous performances each season in the Sala Santa Cecilia at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, while also touring and recording extensively, activities that have significantly heightened the international profile of the Orchestra. This season, he takes the Orchestra back to the United States for the first time in nearly 50 years, as well to Germany and, for the first time, the United Arab Emirates. In addition to its performances at Carnegie Hall, the Orchestra's U.S. tour includes concerts in Boston, Rochester, and Washington, D.C.

Maestro Pappano records principally for Warner Classics, and he has made several recordings with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra and Chorus for the label, including a release scheduled for September 22 (digital) and October 13 (physical) on which he conducts music by Saint-Saëns, including the Symphony No. 3 and a piano duo with Martha Argerich in The Carnival of the Animals. His recordings have won numerous honors, including Classic BRIT, ECHO Klassik, BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone Awards. Additional awards and honors include Gramophone's "Artist of the Year" in 2000, the 2003 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, the 2004 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, and the Bruno Walter prize from the Académie du Disque Lyrique in Paris. In 2015, he became the 100th recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Gold Medal, the body's highest honor.

The Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of Italy's few independent orchestras of international stature, known both for its artistic excellence and rich history. The Orchestra's origins can be traced back to 1585, when the Accademia, now one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, was founded in Rome by Pope Sixtus V and presided over by composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina as a confraternity of local musicians. Over the centuries, the Accademia has evolved into a modern academy, including a conservatory, museum, and, since 1908, a permanent symphony orchestra, the first in Italy to make symphonic music the focus of its repertoire. The Orchestra is recognized for its history of collaboration with major composers and conductors, including former Accademia professor Ottorino Respighi, whose music is featured at Carnegie Hall and on the U.S. tour. Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome, the first two works in Respighi's "Roman Trilogy," were given their world premieres by the Orchestra in 1917 and 1924, respectively. Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome were given their U.S. and New York premieres at Carnegie Hall in 1919 and 1926, respectively. More recently, as part of a commissioning project conceived by Mr. Pappano to help bolster the Italian symphonic tradition, the Orchestra has worked with Sicilian composer and Accademia alumnus Salvatore Sciarrino, premiering his La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke in March 2015 with Barbara Hannigan. Presently, the Orchestra performs more than 200 symphonic performances each season in the Sala Santa Cecilia at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, tours to major festivals and venues around the world, and appears frequently on recordings.

Pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She began her first piano lessons at the age of five with Vincenzo Scaramuzza. Considered a child prodigy, she soon performed in public. In 1955, she moved to Europe and continued her studies in London, Vienna, and in Switzerland with Bruno Seidlhofer, Friedrich Gulda, Nikita Magaloff, Madeleine Lipatti, and Stefan Askenase. In 1957, she won the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions, and in 1965 the Warsaw International Chopin Competition. Since then, she has been one of the most prominent pianists in the world both in popularity and ability.

Soprano Barbara Hannigan divides her time between singing on the world's major stages and conducting leading orchestras. The Berlin Philharmonic, Münchner Philharmoniker, Gothenburg Symphony, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony are among the orchestras with whom she holds close relationships. Ms. Hannigan has worked with the most prominent conductors, including Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kirill Petrenko, David Zinman, Vladimir Jurowski, Antonio Pappano, Alan Gilbert, and Reinbert de Leeuw.

Program Information
Friday, October 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
ORCHESTRA DELL'ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA
Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director and Conductor
Martha Argerich, Piano

VERDI Sinfonia from Aida
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
RESPIGHI Fountains of Rome
RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

A pre-concert talk begins at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Alain Frogley, Professor of Music History at the University of Connecticut.

Sponsored by Breguet, Exclusive Timepiece of Carnegie Hall

Tickets: $75-$166

Saturday, October 21 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
ORCHESTRA DELL'ACCADEMIA NAZIONALE DI SANTA CECILIA
Sir Antonio Pappano, Music Director and Conductor
Barbara Hannigan, Soprano

SALVATORE SCIARRINO La nuova Euridice secondo Rilke (NY premiere)
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 in A Minor

Tickets: $38-$125
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Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
Ticket Information
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change. Image at top of release by Musacchio & Ianniello.