Expertise, Passion & Love

Anyone who has ever seen him at work during rehearsals will remember those moments forever—

There is a young man, friendly and focused, knowledgeable, speaking in images, intense and captivating, always to the point, always feeling with his whole heart, always profoundly deep. You hang on his every word… And these are just the rehearsals! Just imagine the actual performances: After these, his devoted fan base cheers, the international audience cheers, and the media raves.

But his success certainly didn’t come out of nowhere. In addition to his talent, Lorenzo Viotti proved early on to be a shrewd professional who understood the music business as a whole. This led him not only to focus on the podium and the conductor’s baton, but also, among other things, to study percussion, singing, and piano, and undertook a study tour through a wide variety of departments and to various locations in the culturalinstitutions. In the case of the Vienna State Opera: he filled in as a percussionist in the orchestra, got to know the repertoire from the standing section, and helped out in the music archive. All these small and large pieces of the mosaic that—among other things—made him who he is today: namely a sought-after opera performer and conductor of leading orchestras such as the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.

Despite all his vigor and verve—one always senses how he reflects not only in his music, but also in conversation—he blends thoughtful reflection with radiant enthusiasm. Admittedly, some of it is said with a wink: For example, he likes to recount how he once missed his cue as a percussionist at the Vienna State Opera during a performance of Giacomo Puccini’s *La Bohème* —because he had been so captivated by the performance, the music, and the singing. What a lovely image! Even more beautiful, however, is his approach to collective and—as he emphasizes—collaborative work at the opera: “We work with people, so we have to love people for it to turn out well!” And what is needed for works like Puccini’s *Il trittico*, which Viotti will conduct in June at the Vienna State Opera, if not a deep love for and understanding of people? Even if they’re just characters in an evening of opera …