Q&A with conductor Antonio Pirolli

Antonio Pirolli, leads the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa (OSP) and has directed, among others, the New National Theater in Tokyo, the Teatro dell'Opera, in Rome, and the Teatro alla Scala, in Milan.

 

 

 

When did your ambition to become a conductor begin? When and how did you start?

My love for conducting began when I was very young. My father, a trombonist, encouraged me to listen to the most famous and important classical music compositions. Then I began taking my first piano lessons and joined the choir of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

 

 

What brought you to Portugal to direct the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa? What do you most enjoy about living in Lisbon?

The first time I came to Portugal was in the year 2000, when I was invited to conduct a new production of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the São Carlos Theatre in Lisbon. Lisbon is always an indescribable emotion. The city's architecture, history and cultural stratifications fascinate me, besides the wonderful light and fantastic food.

 

 

 

What are your strengths as a conductor? What defines you? And what do you think makes a great conductor?

I certainly had a solid academic training and the good fortune of having met great teachers. But above all I believe I do a great job preparing the scores. I believe that it is important for the orchestra conductor to be talented, but I think an in-depth study linked to interdisciplinary research with all the other arts makes all the difference. I think this is the right way to go for anyone who is about to take up this difficult job.