The Austrian conductor Michael Lessky comes from a highly musical Viennese family. His conductor’s training he gained in the first instance with Karl Österreicher at the Vienna Music Academy, acquiring additional important impulses by frequently assisting Claudio Abbado at the Vienna State Opera as well as with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. In addition he studied law, piano, organ, church music and the theory of jazz in Vienna.
In 1995 together with Ildiko Raimondi, Hans-Peter Blochwitz and Bernd Weikl as soloists and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra, he made his successful debut in the Vienna Musikverein conducting Haydn’s Creation. This was the starting point for many successful concerts with masterpieces such as Verdi’s „Requiem“, Mozart’s “C-minor Mass“, Bruckner’s „Te Deum“, Brahms’ „Requiem” and numerous works of French and Italian repertoire.
Lessky also conducted in the seasons 1999 and 2000 successful productions of the „Magic Flute“ and „Nabucco“ with which the St. Margarethen Opera Festival was able to establish itself as the second largest open air opera festival in Europe.
In 1997 Lessky founded the Austrian national youth orchestra „Young Vienna Philharmonic“, which under his direction became the Austrian “elite orchestra of the next generation”, according to Austrian radio ORF and the daily paper “News”. The orchestra has already played in all the best concert halls in Europe and has been invited to tour twice as the “Official Austrian Cultural Ambassador” in China.
An important aspect of his work is the intense collaboration with internationally renowned vocal soloists, such as Agnes Baltsa, Ildiko Raimondi, José Carreras, Janina Baechle, Saimir Pirgu and Robert Holl. In 2006 he conducted the world premiere of José Carreras’ new programme „Belle Epoque“ in the Vienna Concert House (issued on CD by Sony/BMG). Other CD releases are the Mahler Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4, and of particular value, the live recording made in the Vienna State Opera of Orchestral Songs by Schubert, Strauss, Mahler and Zemlinsky with Ildiko Raimondi. In 2010 was published a new CD with works from Mahler, Schoenberg, Webern and Nono (label:Gramola).
Due to his great love of literature and theatre Michael Lessky often combines music and text, be it by including actors or in half-scenic adaptations. In this context, Schubert’s “Rosamunde” and “Lazerus” or Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” should be mentioned. An important concern is his contact to contemporary music: many commissioned compositions, e.g. to German Toro-Perez, Johanna Doderer or Thomas Pernes are the results of his initiative.
The works of Mahler and Bruckner are another emphasis. His interpretations of the Mahler Symphonies No. 2 and No. 4 and Bruckner’s Nr 4 and Nr.9 aroused particular notice with the public and press.
