Sawallisch, wolfgang

Sawallisch, Wolfgang, eminent German conductor; b. Munich, Aug. 26, 1923. He began piano study when he was 5, and later pursued private musical training with Ruoff, Haas, and Sachse in Munich before entering military service during World War II (1942); then completed his musical studies at the Munich Hochschule für Musik. In 1947 he became répétiteur at the Augsburg Opera, making his conducting debut there in 1950. He then was Generalmusikdirektor of the opera houses in Aachen (1953–58), Wiesbaden (1958–60), and Cologne (1960–63); also conducted at the Bayreuth Festivals (1957–61). From 1960 to 1970 he was chief conductor of the Vienna Sym. Orch., making his first appearance in the U.S. with that ensemble in 1964; also was Generalmusikdirektor of the Hamburg State Phil. (1961–73). From 1970 to 1980 he was chief conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, and from 1971 he also served as Generalmusikdirektor of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, where he was named Staatsoperndirektor in 1982. In 1990 he was named music director of the Philadelphia Orch, which position he assumed in 1993. That same year, he took it on an acclaimed tour of China. He appeared as a guest conductor with a number of the world’s major orchs. and opera houses. A distinguished representative of the revered Austro-German tradition, he has earned great respect for his unostentatious performances; he has also made appearances as a sensitive piano accompanist to leading singers of the day. His autobiography appeared as Im Interesse der Deutlichkeit: Mein Leben mit der Musik (Hamburg, 1988). He also publ. Kontrapunkt—Herausforderung Musik (Hamburg, 1993).

Bibliography

H. Krellmann, ed., Stationen eines Dirigenten, W. S.(Munich, 1983).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire