“Sir Antonio Pappano is to step down as music director of the Royal Opera House to succeed Sir Simon Rattle as chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra,” writes Mark Brown in Tuesday’s (3/30) Guardian (U.K.). “Pappano has been at Covent Garden since 2002, the opera house’s longest-serving music director. He said his new job, beginning in September 2024, was a ‘dream come true’ and he felt humbled and excited. ‘I am committed to keeping London as my musical home and look forward to this most important journey that awaits me, full not only of discovery but also of continued exploration of technological and broadcast opportunities to convey the message of music to an ever greater audience.’ Rattle announced in January that he was leaving LSO to take charge of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich…. He said the reason was to be closer to his family in Berlin. Many others have speculated that Brexit and the dwindling chances of London getting a new concert hall were also big factors. In February plans for the concert hall … were formally scrapped. Pappano will continue in charge at Covent Garden until the end of the 2023-24 season.”
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