Meet the new Chief Conductor, Lorenzo Viotti!
Young, charismatic and immensely musical. This new conductor is anything but ordinary. As well as loving opera and classical music, he also enjoys an exhausting CrossFit session or a visit to a techno festival. Allow us to introduce Lorenzo Viotti, the new Chief Conductor of both Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra as from the 2021-2022 season.
Meet Lorenzo Viotti
Der Rosenkavalier runs from 13 April until 2 May 2023 at the Dutch National Opera. Order your tickets now!
Meet the new Chief Conductor, Lorenzo Viotti!
Meteoric career
Before his 31st birthday, Viotti had already conducted renowned orchestras and opera houses throughout the world – from Staatskapelle Berlin to The Metropolitan Opera in New York – and won various international prizes. Being appointed as Chief Conductor of Dutch National Opera and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra has taken his meteoric career to a new high: during the various programmes, he will conduct an 80-strong orchestra, the much-celebrated Choir of the Dutch National Opera and a range of top-class soloists. After his ‘glorious debut’ (De Volkskrant newspaper) with Dutch National Opera during the operatic diptych Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana in 2019, Viotti promises to raise opera and classical music to the very highest level during the seasons to come. An opportunity not to be missed!
Tradition and experiment
Although Viotti’s artistic vision is based on the tradition of opera and orchestra, he is also driven by a fierce appetite for other art forms and exciting experiments. This will be apparent during the course of the next season in Missa in tempore belli, for example, a co-production between Dutch National Opera and Dutch National Ballet. Viotti: ‘It promises to be an exciting production featuring musical theatre, video, dance and electronic music.’
Viotti has set himself the goal of making classical music and opera more accessible to diverse audiences. ‘This means more than simply conducting. The things that go on around the podium and behind the scenes are also important. You must draw audiences into your world, otherwise our sector will bleed to death,’ he says. So Viotti aims to take his audiences on a musical voyage by talking to them and opening the doors to his rehearsals.
Nurturing interest
The young conductor is also clear about his plans for the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra: ‘Back to basics, the classical repertoire.’ He is not afraid to speak his mind: ‘I say exactly what I think, but I always maintain respect for the musicians. We must nurture our interest in each other. It’s the same with a partner: if things become too comfortable, you lose interest and before you know it, you stop being lovers.’
Lorenzo Viotti cannot wait to meet you and introduce you to his world. A world where tradition meets new visions, a world you would not want to miss!
Lorenzo Viotti about Haydn's Missa in tempore belli
