Zeinab Badawi meets Sir Antonio Pappano as he ends his celebrated tenure as Music Director of the Royal Opera House after the 2023/24 season to become Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. Sir Antonio has railed against the prevailing perception of opera as elitist, saying it is 'a misconception that totally distorts the image of opera'. He has conducted almost the entire Italian and French repertoires, a good part of the Russian, plus Wagner, Strauss and contemporary works; Zeinab goes behind-the-scenes with Tony and his cast at rehearsals of Massenet's Werther to explore the state of opera.