The Conductor of Music and Perfumes: Maestro Fabio Luisi of FL Parfums + Scent and Symphony Draw

2fabio luisi  Grammy Award-winning Italian conductor

Photo: Barbara Luisi © BALU Photography

Fabio Luisi is a Grammy Award-Winning Italian Conductor

 When I began CaFleureBon in 2010, it was our intention to created a scented salon that would celebrate fragrance in context of culture and the Beaux Arts. Over the past three years many of our perfume reviews reference music (for example, Mark Behnke used the musical genre known as  mash-ups when describing Juliette Has A Gun's Mad Madame and  former contributor and opera singer Jasia Julia Nielson reflects on the 100th birthday of Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue through  Schubert’s Winterreise).  Fragrance and music share a similar language.  We call the perfumer's materials and essences "an organ", there are accords (chords), we refer to  the creator of a fragrance as a composer and to perfume ingredients as notes.   In 1850,  G.W. Septimus Piesse wrote a book entitled, The Art of Perfumery and The Method of Obtaining the Odor of Plants.  Piesse thought of scent in terms of musical notes and  assigned individual scents to a specific music note.  His book has been read by many, including Maestro Fabio Luisi, the Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Music Director at Zurich Opernhaus  who is also a perfumer.

fabio luisi  perfumer

Photo: Barbara Luisi © BALU Photography

I was introduced to Signor Luisi by Anya McCoy, the President of the Natural Perfumers Guild.  Anya was "quite taken that a Maestro was debuting his  line of fragrances, including natural perfumes with the Guild as an Associate Perfumer".  Anya also has read Piesse's work and emailed me , "I eagerly awaited his perfume samples. They were beautiful, seamless compositions that confirmed my expectations. I don't know whether Fabio is familiar with Piesse or not, but I did see that he composed balanced, melodic perfumes. The Guild is honored to have him as a member". 

It is an honor to introduce Fabio Luisi to our readers and to other olfactive artists throughout the world –Michelyn Camen, Editor In Chief

fabio luisi perfumer

Photo: Barbara Luisi © BALU Photography

I am a professional musician, conductor, and my first experience was at age 15 or 16, (year 1974) with the classic Aramis, later I switched to N.2  (Etienne Aigner), then to Vetiver (Guerlain), to which I still come back from time to time, regretting the various reformulations (it concerns Aramis as well, unfortunately). Five years ago I started reflecting about perfumery in general, and I asked myself "why don't you try yourself"? I studied a numer of treatises and books including Jean Carles Method and began to learn and  to experiment with composing fragrances with a special accent on natural substances. So I started buying essential oils (which make 80% of my scents) and experimenting. With time I  realized that quality ingredients is key  to composing and  I searched for the finest essential oil. Concurrently, I began  studying Aromatherapy, which is a very important in understanding chemical structure and therapeutical properties of the oils.

Fabio-Luisi-of-FL-Parfums

Photo: Barbara Luisi © BALU Photography

What started as a hobby has become by now an essential part of my life.  I can free my mind of music, creating perfumery, but  I work within similar parameters. Like music perfumery is the "art of blending", trying to obtain a perfect harmony among several parts. In music those parts are the instruments, but you have to find a balance in tone and volume, in the mixture of the different specific sounds and in the proportions. Perfumery is astonishingly alike, not only the balance in the ingredients, but also the reactions the aromatic substances show to each other are of fundamental importance.

Debussy's La Mer inspired  Jeux de Vagues and Jeux de Vent.  The Alpine Symphony was my muse for Invincible, the story of a man climbing a mountain, finding challenges and triumph. Creating these from music was like translating fantasy, complexity and colors into perfumes: even the switching between feelings in the music can be compared to the developing of the perfumes first in the skin – and my perfumes change a lot in the first hour – then in the mind, evoking new dimensions, sensations and memories.

Throughout my musical career I have been inspired by Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Kleiber and Sergiu Celibidache. In perfumery, I admire all professionals (because I am not!) but especially the creations of Annie Buzantian, Bertrand Duchaufour, and  Edmond Roudnitska.  Among the natural perfumers, I  greatly appreciate Abdel Salaam, Charna Ethier and Anya McCoy.

Organ fabio luisi

Fabio Luisi works with mostly natural essences

Focusing on natural perfumery goes a step further.  For me natural perfumery is more difficult and requires a stronger feeling for the true personality of the components  and here is where I apply the "Carles Method" of blending the most,  in order to learn what these very substances are capable of without the addition of synthetics. Natural perfumery is a very important part of my activity, and  I see myself as an exclusively natural perfumer in the future.

Fabio Luisi, Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, Chief Conductor of the Vienna Symphony, General Music Director of the Zurich Opera and Perfumer for FL Parfums

You can read more about Mr. Luisi 's illustrious career in music here. Our thanks to Anya McCoy for this wonderful introduction.

Thanks to Maestro Fabio Luisi we have a reader's choice draw of five 15 ml FL Parfums for two WORLDWIDE readers of the following: Jeux de Vagues, Bois de Vetiver, Peu d'Un Homme, ALL NATURAL  No.7  or ALL NATURAL Roses du Jardin. The Maestro will sign the bottles. To be eligible please leave a comment about what you found fascinating about Maestro Fabio Luisi dual career as a musician and perfumer and be sure to include your choice of fragrance.  Draw ends December 12, 2013.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume

 

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59 comments

  • Maestro Indeed! I love that he can combine both his passions and create beauty in so many forms! I’m always happy to discover another natural perfumer too. As for my choice, Roses du Jardin of course (who can resist an all natural rose), thank you!

  • leathermountain says:

    I am fascinated by the connections and points of departure between music and perfumery for the Maestro. He enjoys the chance to engage fully with perfumery and thus leave music behind, yet he is also inspired by music to create some of his perfume compositions, and certainly refers to the common language of music and perfume. As well, he is moving toward working as an exclusively natural perfumer, and he sees the use of high-quality materials as being paramount in perfumery. In music, one rarely hears much focus on the material aspects of music — as important as the instruments, venues, and recording systems themselves actually are. Somehow, still, music seems less immanent than perfume, as the Maestro describes perfumes. I find this connections and contrasts quite fascinating. My choice is Roses du Jardin.

  • Maestro Fabio Lubsi’s humbleness and passion are certainly expressed eloquently in this introduction, concerning both of his passions. HARMONY…. I loved how he expressed how very much alike Music and Perfumery are. Creativity I do believe is enhanced when we split that energy with another passion. Bois de Vetiver would be my choice. I have a love of Vetiver and love to experience others take on this wonderful earthy note

  • I had no idea Fabio Luisi had such deep passion for perfumes! As I musician myself I continue to be amazed at how many musicians love the art of perfume. The creative blending of essences parallels the work of a perceptive conductor in front of an orchestra, mixing timbres and seeking the finest balance of sounds. I love Debussy, so I would love to smell Jeux de Vagues. Thank you for the article and this wonderful draw.

  • The analogy of the change in feelings brought about by musical changes and how perfume develops on the skin was so perfect! I’m so intrigued by this line. I am in the US.

  • Chris Schaefer says:

    Music and perfumery! His passions are so harmonious. He also sounds like such a delightful man. I do often reflect on how the notes of a perfume creation are like so many other art forms. I love it!

    I would love to win any of these amazing sounding perfumes, but my 1st choice would be All Natural No. 7.

    Thank you for the introduction, the interview, and the draw.

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    I love that your fragrances are inspired by music, which speaks to the soul the same way fragrance does. Thank you for the article! I live in the USA and would like to be entered in the draw.

  • For years, the similarities between music and perfume have fascinated me with their ability to stir emotions and color experience without spoken language. The desire of Maestro Fabio Lubsi to create perfume as an extension of the expression of music, harmony and balance makes perfect sense, but I’m so impressed that he’s accomplishing this new medium by using naturals, and he’s successful at it. I’m interested to know – when working on a piece of music, it comes to mind constantly. Does the same thing happen with perfume, the notes combine in the mind until they must be tried together? I would like to learn more! In any case, I the perfumes sound lovely, and I would most like to try Roses du Jardin, Peu d’Un Homme or Jeux de Vagues because I love La Mer. Thanks so much for the introduction and the draw, I look forward to learning more!

  • Fabio looks a bit like a young Shostakovich. It’s fine when the person does not cease to dream and create. He is a great conductor and he will make a gift to the world, if will become a great perfumer.
    My choice is Bois du Vetiver.

  • “Translating fantasy, complexities and color into perfume” – I love this line. Whether it’s musical, perfume, poetry, painting, etc., the fact that so many senses are involved makes art come alive. I have always been intrigued with musical connections to other forms of art, especially reading up on Amanda Feely from Esscentual Alchemy, but I’m virtually bursting to listen to Debussy and smell Maestro’s inspired creations. This feeds my soul. He will be a fantastic perfumer, I can feel it. What a lovely interview. I would love to try Roses du Jardin.

  • Thank you, Michelyn, for introducing Fabio to the readers of Cafleurebon. I did a double take when he first wrote me about joining the Guild, because, to my knowledge, a musician of such stature had never before been a perfumer. What a lovely “blending” of disciplines he has proven it to be!
    Anya

  • I enjoyed Maestro’s explanation on music, like Perfumery , being the “art of blending”, the harmony , the balance in tone and volume and in the mixture of different sounds n the relevant proportions. Of course it makes total sense and how blessed he is to enjoy the pinnacle of both Arts. Thank you for the draw.
    I would choose ALL NATURAL No 7

  • Welcome Maestro Luisi to the Guild, I look forward to seeing you on the Guild boards and emails. My father is a professional musician and conductor also, his career is dedicated to (mostly French) organ music and Baroque orchestra and choral works. I often think of pieces I’ve performed with him when I blend natural perfumes.
    Music can bring us to so many places to help create beauty.
    I would love to try No.7, in a past life I’m convinced I was a traditional cologne wearing Dandy. 😉

  • It’s rare indeed to have someone becoming a master in two very different forms of arts. It takes great talent to master just one!
    I’d really love to try Roses du Jardin.

  • Marcopietro says:

    Great Fabio!
    The composition is a fundamental aspect for both the musician and for the perfumer, but to get good results in both areas is not easy to every man. Bravo!
    My choice is No.7

  • Harmonious music, harmonious fragrance blends, I can see the relationship now between the two.
    I would love to try perfume inspired by Debussy, but my choice is Roses du Jardin

  • Music and Perfumes are both two arts that one can not see with eyes but which have a bigger impact on us in a subtle way. It’s incredible to find a good musicien who also loves create perfumes. Great!

  • What a wonderful surprise and article, it made my day; I had no idea that Maestro Luisi was also a perfumer. It does make perfect sense that someone as great a conductor, could also be a skilled perfumer. Even if not anywhere near Maestros musical heights, I still felt many similarities; “What started as a hobby has become by now an essential part of my life. I can free my mind of music, creating perfumery, but I work within similar parameters”. My own mantra for perfume, is that I feel that the best perfumes have a soundtrack, but I also feel that there is great music out there that has yet to find a worthy scent-track. For that reason I should be very interested in in trying out Jeux de Vagues should I be so lucky.
    Thank you Maestro and CFB for the draw, and thank you Michelyn for the mention of the Winterreise<3

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    it’s amazing he is a Maestro and perfumer at the same time..It is good to know Jean Carles continues to teach others including Maestro Luisi…this article reminds me and i don’t know why i forgot to mention in the other article about vintage perfumes but Vintaga Ma Griffe along with Shocking are Jean Carles true masterpieces and I am wondering which Jean Carles creations impress Maestro Luisi the most.

    My choices are Roses du Jardin and second is N.7

  • maysamassimo says:

    What I found fascinating about Maestro Fabio Luisi is that he learned to make perfumes by himself, just out of curiosity and reading. I would choose Roses du Jardin and Nº 7. Thanks for the draw!

  • This shows to me that artists, whether of vision, sound or scent, strive to learn more and by learning another media it probably enhances all his other senses. Plus I like his inspirations! For the draw I would chose Roses du Jardin or Bios de Vetiver. Thank you.

  • Fascinating how he relates the words “an organ” and accords to both music and perfume
    I would like to win the Peu d’Un Homme. Thanks.

  • I am a great admirer of Fabio Luisi as he is one if the most talented conductors in the world. To learn he is a perfumer was a big surprise and delight — I am sure he brings passion and artistry to his scents. I would love to experience his fragrances. Roses du jardin or 7 would be my choice.

  • Thank you so much for sharing this Michelyn and Maestro Luisi – wonderful story! The connection between harmonious music and harmonious perfumes is quite clear. Learning as much as you can about your instruments/aromatics is a part of the mastery and is explained so well in this piece. While I would love to experience fragrances inspired by Debussy, I am most interested in Roses du Jardin or No 7.

  • I had never really thought about the unfolding of a fragrance and the development of a musical piece and how they both unfold to reveal themselves. There really are a lot of similarities! What an accomplished maestro. Roses du Jardin spoke to me for being a non-sweet rose. Thank you for introducing us to another talented perfumer.

  • I am fascinated by the fact that both arts interact with each other and he uses either music for inspiration to the creation of his perfumes and perfumes as inspiration for his musical compositions. Also the fact that a piece of music unfolds in the same way a smell unfolds its self (layers of smell notes make a perfume while musical notes make parts of a piece of music). A truly gifted and charismatic person. Congratulations!!!
    If I win I would love to experience Roses du Jardin.
    Thanks for this lovely draw!

  • How fascinating Maestro Luisi! Being a natural perfumer myself and exploring the quality essential oils and absolutes fully..making a study of this is so very important. I am so happy to see you understanding this. Harmony with the music and the music made with the oils…priceless.. I feel your passion and I also like the fact you do it all yourself. I do that also and when your passion takes over…you create the masterpieces..I would love to try Roses du Jardin as a love natural rose fragrances.

  • I choose N. 7 as my choice! Really fascinating that he was drawn to scent like this, and that he was self-taught via reading texts. Auto-didacts are always quite interesting.

  • Artist is always an artist and a music isn’t so different from creating perfumes: putting notes together to create beautiful accords, and then symphony.
    I’d pick Bois de Vetiver.

  • Being married to a musician I totally get the harmony he needs and expresses in any aspect of his life! amazing talent I would love to try any of the perfumes!

  • I love music, but somehow I had never thought about matching my perfume and my music, or really having one inspire the other. It’s amazing the way he’s connected the two; and I think it’s so wonderful that he can combine two forms of artistic expression this way!

  • I am so thrilled to learn about you Fabio. I love that two of your perfumes were inspired by Debussy’s La Mer. My resolution for this last year has been to learn about “classical” music history and listen to the great composer’s works. A natural perfumer myself, as I surveyed the composer’s works and their stories, I was completely inspired by so many of them that I started keeping a journal of perfumes I wanted to create in the future. I’m currently working on one inspired by Tchaikovsky’s tone poem Francesca da Rimini. I’d love to keep in touch with you somehow because it seems we share two loves: music and perfume. Let’s do lunch!

  • julesinrose says:

    What I find interesting is what was not said: Fabio Luisi is a conductor of music, but not a composer. For that, he turned to perfume. I’d pick Bois de Vetiver.

    I enjoyed reading the article and his entire website.

  • I was interested in the way he is drawn by natural materials and is aiming to create 100% naturals. |It’s also interesting how he says it is harder to do without synthetics.
    I’d like to be in the draw for Jeux de Vagues,
    ty

  • I definitely relate to the parallels between music and scent – the balancing and contrasting of notes. I am most intrigued by Jeaux de Vagues!

  • I found it interesting that Maestro Luisi considers his perfume making as a way to “free his mind of music”. I think music is ever present in our lives. A few years back (1998-2003) I had a blog whereby I selected a piece of classical music and played it over and over again until I had the perfect selection of photographic imagery to match before I pressed the “post” key. The Maestro did create “Jeuxde Vagues” based on Claude Debussy and I hope that he creates future music/perfume themes. I would love to have a signed piece of perfume art and my choice would be No.7

  • Fascinating just doing BOTH conducting orchestras and creating natural perfumes.

    Should I win, I’d love to have the Jeux de Vagues 🙂

  • So interesting, and it makes so much sense! I would love to try the perfumes while listening to the musical inspirations for them. My choice would be Jeux de Vagues. I look forward to trying these!

  • Doreen Stelton says:

    WOW – brilliant and amazing… thanks so much for this article. i would love to try any of the all natural fragrances! thanks for the draw.

  • Dear Friends, you are all so nice! Thank you for the wonderful comments! And thank you for sharing with me love and passion for perfumes and perfumery!

  • Thank you for the article. I love inetersing unusal scents. I would like to try perfumes created by interesting and intelligent man.
    I would choose Roses du Jardin, I also don’t like sweet scents)

  • It is really fascinating to read about a musician turning a perfumer! His certainty for his perfumer’s future is amazing!
    I would like Bois du Vetiver if I win.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • Hmm, I never realized that there was a book by G.W. Septimus Piesse – I use an illustration by him as a Facebook coverphoto that depicts a gamut of scents alongside muscial notation. I’d be interested in all of these scents, but would expecially like the one based on the Debussy piece. Let the synthaesthetes abound to link scent with music!

  • Wow, these sound amazing, I must try them. I also just happen to be listening to Debussy as I read this! His overall sensibility sounds very appealing. I would certainly pick Jeux de Vagues.

  • I love how he is able to perfectly balance his musical career with the art of perfume making finding inspiration in both. His passion for his craft is exhilarating and I look forward to more of his wonderful creations. My choice would be Peu d’Un Homme.Thanks for the draw!

  • DesigningWoman says:

    I had no idea that Maestro Luisi’s parallel passion lay in parfums and the art of scent. Flowery (!) language is not my skill – I am an artist and designer on paper and mixed media, but understand the quest to find the perfect blend of materials in order to achieve something transcendent. Living in new York City, I attend the Met often and have missed Luisi’s presence this last year. Now that I know where else he has directed his energy, I would love to sample one of his compositions. Perhaps the Maestro could choose something subtle and feminine for me if I am chosen. It would be wonderful for this opera-lover to start her perfume education with something created by a musician!

  • Thank you Maestro Luisi, for sharing your artistry in another way. I have long been an admirer of your work in the opera house (Met-goer since infancy) and I eagerly look forward to experiencing your perfumery talent.

    Bois de Vetiver is my choice should I be lucky enough to win.

  • Francesca Belanger says:

    I originally heard about Maestro’s fragrances on an opera blog, and then found your fascinating post. As a veteran opera fan, and a fairly neophyte fragrance fan, I love that Maestro Luisi has followed his dream of becoming a perfumer. The fragrances all sound lovely, and I look forward to sniffing them. Should I win, I’d choose Roses du Jardin

  • This is fantastic! This man is so gifted. We ve got only 5 senses and he can use at least 2 of them almost perfectly.:-) I like his enthusiasm for natural perfumery. I would choose Roses du Jardin… although as a lover of Debussy I would like to try also Jeux de Vagues.:-) Thanks

  • I appreciate the similarities that Maestro Fabio Luisi finds between music and perfumery. It does make sense that “Like music perfumery is the “art of blending”, trying to obtain a perfect harmony among several parts.” I would love to try Jeux de Vagues the most. Thanks for the draw!

  • I am particularly fascinated and excited about Maestro’s fragrances that have a more directly musical inspiration like Jeux de Vagues and Jeux de Vent. I will also now wonder what scent he is wearing the next time I see him conduct at the Met!
    If I am selected as a winner of the drawing, I would love a sampling of Jeux de Vagues and Peau d’un Homme. Thank you.

  • I thought it was great hearing about his different talents. He seems like a wonderful perfumer. My choice would be Peu D’un Homme.

    Thanks!

  • I liked hearing about his first fragrances and what he did to learn and master the art of fragrances.

    I would choose Peu D’Un Homme