Marcello Viotti (29 June 195416 February 2005) was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

. Viotti was born in

Vallorbe Vallorbe () is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Vallorbe is first mentioned in 1139 as ''de valle urbanensi''. In 1148 it was mentioned as ''de valle urbe''. Geography Vallorbe ...

, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...

at the Conservatory of Lausanne. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a mentor to Viotti and encouraged him to begin his career in the theatre. As a young conductor, Viotti honed his craft with the International Orchestra of the Jeunesses Musicales in the Italian town of Fermo, and also with a wind ensemble. His interpretation of Robert Schumann's 4th Symphony helped him win the 1982 Gino Marinuzzi Competition. During the 1980s and 1990s Viotti was a director at several

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

s in Europe. These included three years as artistic director of the Stadttheater in Lucerne, a post as music director of the

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

opera, and three years as Generalmusikdirector of Bremen (1990–1993). He held guest conducting posts at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

, the

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the D ...

, and the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

. Viotti was chief conductor of the Saarland Radio Symphony Orchestra (Saarbrücken) from 1991 to 1995. He was one of three joint chief conductors of the

MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (in English, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony ...

from 1996 to 1999. Viotti was chief conductor of the Münchner Rundfunkorchester from 1998 to 2004, when he resigned in protest at budget cuts that threatened the existence of the orchestra. Viotti was named music director at the Teatro La Fenice Orchestra in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

in January 2002. He appeared a number of times with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia, and from 2002 until his death he was Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra. Viotti suffered a stroke during a rehearsal in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

in February 2005 and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot. He was then hospitalized on artificial life support but never regained consciousness and died on 16 February 2005. Viotti was married and had four children; his son Lorenzo is a conductor.

Decorations and awards

* 1982 1st Prize of the Gino Marinuzzi Competition (Italy) * German Record Prize * 2003

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art (german: Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst) is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Viotti, Marcello 1954 births 2005 deaths People from Jura-North Vaudois District Swiss conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Swiss people of Italian descent Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male musicians Bayerischer Rundfunk people Lausanne Conservatory alumni