Beethoven and Haydn: Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

Founded in 1908, the world‐renowned Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia has been conducted by some of the major musical figures of the 20th century, including Sibelius, Mahler, and Strauss, and later Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, and Kurt Masur.

Sir Antonio Pappano has been Chief Conductor of the Orchestra dell' Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2005. The highly successful collaboration has brought the Orchestra to music festivals like the Proms in London and the Lucerne and Salzburg Festivals, as well as concert halls including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie in Berlin, and the Musikverein in Vienna. The Orchestra has its home in the impressive Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.

The career of the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has attracted considerable interest and excitement since his international debut in the early 1990s. He is now firmly established as one of the most compelling artists on the international concert circuit. 2004/5 is a particularly exciting season for Andnes as he will be the youngest ever Carnegie Hall 'Perspectives' artist. This will involve him performing at the hall in recital, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with Christian Tetzlaff and with Ian Bostridge as well as performing in a series of chamber music concerts at the Zankel Hall in the Carnegie complex.