Wolfgang Sawallisch

Wolfgang Sawallisch earned recognition as a German conductor and pianist whose measured approach shaped both symphonic programs and operatic productions. His keyboard skills earned admiration in accompanying roles and chamber settings while also supporting a notable solo career. Born in Munich during 1923 to parents Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch, he grew up alongside an older brother, Werner, who preceded him by five years. Piano lessons began at age five, and by ten he had resolved to pursue a life as a concert pianist. After completing secondary education in Munich in 1942, he worked briefly under Wolfgang Ruoff until military conscription placed him in France and Italy with the Wehrmacht. Late in 1945, Allied forces took him prisoner in a British camp, where he remained until release. He then returned to Munich for lessons with composer Joseph Haas. In 1946 he completed studies at the Staatliche Musikhochschule in Munich after a single semester of enrollment. The next year marked his entry into professional work as a répétiteur who later advanced to chorus master at the Augsburg Opera Theater. Concurrently he received conducting instruction from Hans Rosbaud and Igor Markevitch while partnering violinist Gerhard Seitz in recitals that brought them first prize at the Geneva International Competition in 1949. Around the same period he wed singer Mechthild Schmid, a childhood acquaintance for whom he had once played accompaniments. Invitations to lead German ensembles increased, among them an appearance before the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 1953. Over the ensuing decade he served as music director successively in Aachen, Wiesbaden, and Cologne, where he also joined the faculty of the Conservatory. In 1957 he became the youngest conductor engaged at the Bayreuth Festival, launching the season with Tristan und Isolde. That year also brought his first London engagements, encompassing a recital accompanying Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and an orchestral concert with the Philharmonia. Throughout the 1960s he maintained parallel posts as principal conductor of both the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Hamburg State Philharmonic. His initial Japanese guest appearance occurred in 1964 with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, initiating annual visits that continued for more than thirty years. In the following decade he again balanced leadership duties, this time with L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Bavarian State Opera. During his Munich years he directed 1,200 opera performances and led the complete Wagner Ring des Nibelungen cycle on thirty-two occasions. A 1984 guest engagement with the Philadelphia Orchestra later led to his appointment there in 1993 as music director, replacing Riccardo Muti. His opening season included tours to Japan and China plus a visit to Vietnam. He retained the Philadelphia post until 2003, after which declining health prompted retirement from the podium, though he remained affiliated with the orchestra as conductor laureate until his death in 2013.