Fabio Luisi spoke to Corriere della Sera in a long interview where he confirms that, unlike Opera di Roma (that threatened a lawsuit after Luisi's decision to pull out of Rome's Elektra in order to be able to replace the still-indisposed James Levine at the Met) Wiener Symphoniker and San Francisco Opera and Carlo Felice in Genova, where he had to cancel engagements as well, have been cooperative, actually the institutions were "happy to be able to help the Met".
Of Levine he says:
"He's been responsible for forty years of an artistic renaissance that still benefits the Met... I'm happy to be part of the Met family in a more continuing and intense. We'll see what the future brings".
Of his vision of opera conducting:
"It's important, for a conductor, to consider oneself as a partner of the singers, to indicate them a destination and the way to reach it. The good conductor doesn't give orders but motivates the singers, with his support and persuasion".
He also reveals that he loves his new Upper West Side apartment and that he sometimes makes "musica da camera" playing at home with his wife, a photographer who's also a trained violinist.
And re: his penchant for wearing a suit and tie during rehearsals:
"I am convinced that wearing an appropriate outfit during rehearsals is a sign of respect, due to the people working with me: the orchestra, first and foremost, the colleagues and the collaborators".
