Marcello Viotti
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Marcello Viotti (29 June 1954Template:Spaced ndash16 February 2005) was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for opera.
Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied cello, piano and singing at the Conservatory of Lausanne. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a mentor to Viotti and encouraged him to begin his career in the theatre.<ref name="Midgette">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Blyth">Template:Cite news</ref> His interpretation of Robert Schumann's 4th Symphony helped him win the 1982 Gino Marinuzzi Competition.<ref name="Mattison1">Template:Cite news</ref>
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, a post as music director of the Turin opera,<ref name="Blyth"/> 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.<ref name="Anderson">Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref>
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.<ref name="Anderson"/> 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.<ref name="Midgette"/> Viotti was named music director at the Teatro La Fenice Orchestra in Venice 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.<ref>State of the Arts News Template:Webarchive</ref>
Viotti suffered a stroke during a rehearsal in Munich in February 2005 and underwent surgery to remove a blood clot. He was then hospitalized on artificial life support<ref name="Mattison1"/> but never regained consciousness and died on 16 February 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Viotti was married and had four children; his son Lorenzo is a conductor. His daughter Marina Viotti is an opera singer.
Decorations and awardsEdit
- 1982 1st Prize of the Gino Marinuzzi Competition (Italy)
- German Record Prize
- 2003 Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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