“We make sacrifices,” he added, “because what we do is something valuable.”
After almost a year and a half of pandemic-related cancellations, Viotti wanted to start the new season in Amsterdam with a jolt, he said. The city has awaited his arrival since the Artistic Director of the Netherlands National Opera, Sophie de Lint, announced his appointment in 2019.
“Lorenzo was in great demand, so we had to be quick,” de Lint said in an interview. “He really is one of the most talented conductors today. He’s also an incredible ambassador for opera and classical music in general. “
Viotti was born into a musical family in Lausanne, Switzerland. One of his sisters, Marina Viotti, is a mezzo-soprano, the other, Milena, is a professional horn player, as is his brother Alessandro. Her father, Marcello Viotti, was chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra and music director of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice when he died in 2005 at the age of 50.
Viotti was 14 years old at the time. “As a child I don’t have many memories of him at work, but I learned a lot from him as a man, as a father,” he said. “We dived together, worked in the garden together, played soccer. For me these are the most important memories. The directing memories are not important. “
In addition to classical music, Viotti was exposed to a wide range of musical styles during his childhood, including hip-hop, rap, funk and soul. He tried many instruments, studied the piano, viola and drums and sang in the choir.
