Antonio Pappalardo

„Maestro – official better then certain acclaimed sacred monsters
ROME – Not even if Beethoven had come back to life and presented the „Tenth Symphony“, we would have recorded the climate of frantic anticipation that could be felt last night in Santa Maria degli Angeli. Challenging lynching, we must say that Antonio Pappalardo’s „Missa humilis 2000“ (dedicated to the Virgo fidelis, patron saint of the Carabinieri, and vigorously directed by Carlo Segoloni) contains much more music than most of the works of highly acclaimed and feared avant-garde composers.
If music is made of melody, rhythm, harmony, counterpoint, timbre, maestro Pappalardo is more of a musician than certain sacred monsters to whom festivals and conferences are dedicated; and if he were a truly modern artistic director, Gérard Mortier would organize a „Pappalardo saison“ before leaving Salzburg. The general structure of the composition is based on a type of explained melody that is part of the Italian tradition, but the most diverse lexical influences are then grafted onto it.
From Mascagni-style melody to rock, from the police march, to that bit of new age that doesn’t hurt, from Perosi-type symphonic-choral gestures to bare liturgical melodies, in the „Missa“ there is everything and even too much (starting with a disproportionate instrumental and vocal ensemble), but the overall level is above the average of what musical Italy produces today. And the stylistic mix (as well as the return to tonality) is in line with what happens outside our musical sub-province, dominated, yes, by the colonels.“

– Francesco M. Colombo