What is it like working at the Metropolitan Opera?
D.A.: They are treating me with such a mixture of respect and warmth – I am very happy. This has been a wonderful experience. This is the top organization in the world, and you could go in thinking that it will be intimidating to work there. But it’s a beautiful place to work. The orchestra plays so well, the chorus is fantastic. I had the first choral rehearsal yesterday and they were great – attentive, friendly, collaborative. Q: When people hear about you conducting an opera by Philip Glass, do they assume that you are a new music specialist? D.A.: Yes, but I conduct Verdi, and I’ve conducted Bach from the keyboard. I’ve done Mozart and Strauss, most of the Mahler symphonies. I love verismo opera – I conducted “Cav & Pag” in my German opera debut. I conduct Schoenberg. I’m fascinated by the way the pendulum in music swings from one aesthetic to the other. In the 20th century, different schools were looking for extremes of expression, from twelve-tone music to minimalism, from the “d
