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Daniel Ottensamer

Daniel Ottensamer

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Daniel Ottensamer: The Viennese Clarinetist Between Tradition, Virtuosity, and Stylistic Boundary-Crossing

An Artist Portrait of International Standing

Daniel Ottensamer, born on July 26, 1986, in Vienna, is one of the most prominent clarinetists of his generation. His artistic career combines the grand Viennese tradition with a modern, open approach to music-making, which has established him as both a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. As the principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic and a defining voice of the ensemble Philharmonix, he has developed a profile that extends far beyond the classical niche. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Biography: Rooted in a Musical Family

Ottensamer grew up in a musical family: His father, Ernst Ottensamer, was a clarinetist, and his younger brother, Andreas Ottensamer, is also internationally successful. This familial influence created an early environment where musical practice, repertoire knowledge, and stylistic sensitivity were part of everyday life. He completed his studies under Johann Hindler at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with honors. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

From a young age, Ottensamer achieved competition successes that confirmed his extraordinary talent: among other accolades, he won Musica Juventutis in Vienna, received recognition at the Großes Förderpreis competition for clarinet in Munich, won the International Clarinet Competition of the Animato Foundation in Zurich together with Philipp Grzondziel, and was a prizewinner at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition in Denmark. These milestones marked early recognition and the beginning of a career with high artistic impact. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Career with the Vienna Philharmonic and on Major Stages

Since 2006, Daniel Ottensamer has been a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera, serving as the principal clarinetist since 2009. This position demands technical mastery, tonal control, and stylistic authority in one of the world’s most challenging orchestras. The fact that he simultaneously performs as a soloist with leading ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg underscores his exceptional versatility. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Among the conductors he has collaborated with are Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Franz Welser-Möst, Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, Adam Fischer, Manfred Honeck, and Ton Koopman. These names not only signify prestigious collaborations but also reflect the breadth of his repertoire: from the classical-romantic tradition to works that emphasize transparency, breath control, and articulatory precision. Ottensamer emerges as a musician who brings orchestral authority and soloistic presence into a rare balance. ([danielottensamer.com](https://www.danielottensamer.com/))

Chamber Music as an Artistic Core

An essential core of Ottensamer's musical career lies in chamber music. For years, he has collaborated with Christoph Traxler and Stephan Koncz, seeking a dialogical sound that unfolds special intensity within the trio. In a familial context, he founded the clarinet trio The Clarinotts with his father and brother, establishing it as not just a family project, but as a serious ensemble with its own repertoire profile. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Particularly noteworthy is his inclination to expand the repertoire: across seven CDs, Ottensamer has recorded nearly all clarinet trios ever composed. With this, he not only documents interpretative curiosity but also engages in a historical exploration of the instrument’s canon. For him, chamber music becomes a space for innovation, where classical forms, romantic sound culture, and contemporary openness converge. ([ndr.de](https://www.ndr.de/kultur/Klarinette-Co-Daniel-Ottensamer-und-Christoph-Traxler%2Cextraottensamer100.html))

Discography: From Mozart to Brahms, from Sony Classical to Pentatone

Ottensamer's discography shows a clear direction: the great clarinet repertoire, prominently interpreted and documented in high-quality productions. In 2015, a recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto K. 622 was released by Sony Classical, featuring the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. In 2014, he recorded Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto op. 57 with the Vienna Philharmonic; a live recording was released in 2023. These recordings signify the ambition to not only interpret standard works correctly but to create reference-worthy renditions. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

In 2016, The Clarinotts released an album with Deutsche Grammophon. In 2022, together with Stephan Koncz and Christoph Traxler, he released the seven-CD project The Clarinet Trio Anthology with Decca, an ambitious endeavor that extensively explores the trio repertoire historically and stylistically. Finally, in 2025, he released Brahms/Koncz: Sonatas for Clarinet and Orchestra with Pentatone, a recording that reinterprets Brahms’ sonatas in orchestrated form and confirms Ottensamer’s status as an interpreter between tradition and reinterpretation. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Style and Musical Signature

Ottensamer's style is characterized by a clear tone, broad phrasing, and a cultivated, unobtrusive virtuosity. His approach to repertoire does not follow effect but substance: he speaks in interviews about continually re-examining works and creating something of his own where the composer leaves room to do so. His art is thus evident not in merely showcasing technique but in controlled awareness of form and a wise balance between tradition and personal signature. ([oe1.orf.at](https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/207233/Daniel-Ottensamer-Klarinettist))

His collaboration with musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Sir András Schiff, Barbara Bonney, Thomas Hampson, Bobby McFerrin, Heinrich Schiff, Isabelle Faust, Mischa Maisky, and the Hagen Quartet further highlights a musician who takes chamber music seriously. Ottensamer operates within an environment of the highest musical standards, where tone production, intonation, and stylistic responsiveness are as important as interpretative imagination. ([danielottensamer.com](https://www.danielottensamer.com/))

Philharmonix: Genre Boundaries as a Creative Stage

A special chapter in his career is Philharmonix, the ensemble made up of members from the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, which consciously moves beyond strict genre boundaries. Winning the Opus Klassik award in 2018 adds weight to this project and confirms the success of a formation that productively combines classical music, joy of performance, and stylistic openness. Here, Ottensamer appears not as a conservative guardian of tradition, but as a musician who reframes repertoire and expands audience boundaries. ([de.wikipedia.org](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ottensamer))

Especially in Philharmonix, it becomes clear how much Ottensamer relies on communicative stage presence. The ensemble is not merely a side project, but an artistic laboratory where colors, arrangements, and musical wit interact. This also makes Ottensamer appealing to an audience that wants to experience classical music not just as an archive but as a vibrant presence. ([danielottensamer.com](https://www.danielottensamer.com/))

Current Projects and Latest Releases

Among the current projects is especially the Brahms recording released in 2025 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Stephan Koncz, which is highlighted on Ottensamer's website and in concert announcements. It showcases an artist who does not merely manage his repertoire but expands it through new perspectives. The continued presence in international concert programs and the maintenance of the clarinet trio also indicate that Ottensamer's artistic agenda simultaneously prioritizes continuity and development. ([danielottensamer.com](https://www.danielottensamer.com/))

Conclusion: Why Daniel Ottensamer Remains So Exciting

Daniel Ottensamer combines the authority of a top orchestral musician with the curiosity of a chamber musician and the charisma of a soloist. His career exemplifies technical excellence, stylistic complexity, and a consciously cultivated dialogue between tradition and the present. Those who wish to experience the clarinet not just as an orchestral instrument, but as an independent voice with cultural depth, will find in him one of the most interesting interpreters of our time. Those who have the chance to witness Daniel Ottensamer live should take it: His stage presence and musical precision reach their full effect only in the concert hall. ([danielottensamer.com](https://www.danielottensamer.com/))

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