Ernst Ottensamer (5 October 1955 – 22 July 2017) was an Austrian classical

clarinetist The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodw ...

Early life

Born in

Wallern an der Trattnach Wallern an der Trattnach is a municipality in the district of Grieskirchen in the Austrian state of Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

, Ottensamer's father, also named Ernst Ottensamer, was a former mayor of Wallern. Ottensamer studied the clarinet at the

Bruckner-Konservatorium The Anton Bruckner Private University (in German ''Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität'', common short form is ''Bruckner University'') is one of five Austrian Universities for Music, Drama and Dance, and one of four universities in Linz, the Euro ...

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

. He continued his studies in Vienna at the

University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (, abbreviated MDW) is an Austrian university established in 1817 located in Vienna. With a student body of over three thousand, it is the largest institution of its kind in Austria, and one of t ...

(''Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien''), where he completed his studies in 1979. His teachers included

Peter Schmidl Peter Schmidl (10 January 1941 – 1 February 2025) was an Austrian clarinetist. Life and career Schmidl was born in Olomouc, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia on 10 January 1941. He studied clarinet with Rudolf Jettel at the University of Mus ...

Career

Ottensamer joined the orchestra of the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic 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 ...

in 1979. He became principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1983. He joined the faculty of the ''Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien'' in 1986, and subsequently attained the title of ''Universitätsprofessor'' (University Professor) in 2000. He was a founder-member of such chamber ensembles as the ''Wiener Bläserensemble'' (Vienna Wind Ensemble), ''Wiener Virtuosen'', and the ''Wiener Solisten Trio''. His elder son

Daniel Ottensamer Daniel Ottensamer is an Austrian clarinetist and the principal clarinet of the Vienna Philharmonic. Life and career Born in Vienna, Ottensamer first began learning the piano in 1992, and switched to cello after two years. He then took up the clar ...

(born 26 July 1986) became co-principal clarinetist with the Vienna Philharmonic alongside his father, and his younger son

Andreas Ottensamer Andreas Ottensamer (born 4 April 1989) is an Austrian clarinettist and conductor. He was the principal clarinettist of the Berlin Philharmonic before he stepped down from his position on January 27, 2025. He announced his decision in order to foc ...

(born in 1989) is principal clarinetist of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

. The three of them formed a clarinet ensemble, the Clarinotts. The Clarinotts' first album appeared in 2009, and their second album in 2016. Ivan Eröd composed a triple clarinet concerto for The Clarinotts, who premiered the work with the Vienna Philharmonic in January 2016. Ottensamer died after a heart attack on 22 July 2017. His widow Cecilia and his sons survive him.

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Liner notes to

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

, Clarinet Concertos No.1 in F Minor and No.2 in E Flat Major, Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra in E Flat Major. Johan Wildner cond. Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic. Naxos 8.550378 1955 births 2017 deaths Austrian clarinetists Players of the Vienna Philharmonic People from Grieskirchen District {{clarinetist-stub