Marcello Viotti (29 June 195416 February 2005) was a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

classical music conductor, best known for

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

. Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of

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, to Italian parents. He studied

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

and

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

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 Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

's 4th Symphony helped him win the 1982 Gino Marinuzzi Competition. During the 1980s and 1990s Viotti was a director at several opera houses in Europe. These included three years as artistic director of the Stadttheater in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

, a post as music director of the

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opera, and three years as Generalmusikdirektor of Bremen (1990–1993). He held guest conducting posts at the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Bavarian State Opera. 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 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 Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix (mythology), Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especial ...

Orchestra in

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in January 2002. He appeared a number of times with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in

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, and from 2002 until his death he was Principal Guest Conductor of the orchestra. Viotti suffered a stroke during a rehearsal in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

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. His daughter Marina Viotti is an opera singer.

Decorations and awards

* 1982 1st Prize of the Gino Marinuzzi Competition (Italy) * German Record Prize * 2003 Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art

References

External links

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