«Meet the artist» Fabio Luisi

Veröffentlicht: 29/10/2024

Am 16. November 2024 wird Fabio Luisi das Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich dirigieren. Im Interview gibt der einstige Chefdirigent der Tonkünstler Einblick in seine musikalische Reise und seinen Bezug zu Grafenegg.

I remember listening to the radio in the kitchen when they brought classical music. I was then told that I did it very often, so my parents decided to take me to a teacher, the wife of one of my father’s colleagues, who gave music lessons. She was a member of the orchestra in Genoa and taught violin and piano. I chose piano when they asked me what I preferred between the two instruments. For some years, playing and practicing piano was like a game for me.

It was at the very beginning of my activity as a conductor - I started conducting at a certain level in 1987 - and after a charity concert, I was asked if I had an interest in becoming chief conductor of the orchestra. I didn’t hesitate; I knew the orchestra and how experienced the orchestra was in the symphonic repertoire, an experience I lacked. In the six years of my tenure, I learned a lot from this orchestra, especially in style and sound. This orchestra was my teacher during those years.

Grafenegg, too, has an essential story in my life. After my piano diploma,  in the Summer of 1980, I went to Grafenegg for a Masterclass in Chopin’s interpretation with Adam Harasiewicz and Halina Czerny-Stefanska. I lived for a couple of weeks in the “Schlosstaverne,” and practiced day and night in the castle rooms. I returned to Grafenegg many times during my activity as Chief Conductor of the Tonküstler and, in more recent times, with them and other orchestras during the Festival. Grafenegg has an essential place in my heart.

The first Bruckner I conducted was indeed with the Tonkünstler Orchestra. It must have been in 1995 or 1996 with the Seventh Symphony. I remember how much the orchestra helped me navigate that world, which was relatively new to me - of course, I knew Bruckner from my studies and as a listener, but conducting it is entirely another story.

There is no direct connection between those two worlds. But, like music, scents have the power to evocate memories, persons, or places immediately. This is not an esoteric idea; it is scientifically proven that sounds and scents activate the Amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and feelings.