Wolfgang Sawallisch, 1966, in Vienna's Musikverein
Wolfgang Sawallisch turns 86 today. He's no longer conducting, but here are some revelatory YouTube moments to help recall what an elegant musician Sawallisch was.
With Pinchas Zukerman in Mozart.
A Brahms 3 from 1961 with the Vienna Symphony.
From Ma Vlast with the NHK Symphony.
As pianist, with Hermann Prey.
Alas, no video from his decade as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, though there's plenty of audio still available.
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"Alas, no video from his decade as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra..." Incorrect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kksQrltyGZo— SupportTheArtsInPhilly- Comment removed.
- Thank you, Digifant, for the link to "Maestro". I had seen only a few minutes of video clip before, but I was impressed to see the whole thing (54'31"). I was also unaware of the Sawallisch + Philadelphia Orchestra performance of Daphnis et Choloe Suite No. 2 (with chorus) on Yotube. Thank you, SupportTheArtsInPhilly, for showing us the link. I am now wondering how many Sawallisch + Philadelphia Orchestra concerts have been documented in visual media. WHYY has the Orchestra's 100th birthday gala (Nov 2000) in VHS. The concert during the European tour in 2000 (Cologne) is available in DVD. I think NHK captured several concerts in 1993, 1996 and 1999 (but not in 2001) during their Asian tours. I remember the German Requiem performance in February 1997 was also captured (I was bothered by frequent motions of the TV camera on stage). Anything else? Except for the concert in the capacity of the Cologne Music Triennale, when they did Rautavaara and R. Strauss, nothing is available on DVD. I wish all the concerts mentioned above will eventually be available on DVD (so will be the programs "Maestro" and "Maestros in Philadelphia", which was on air in 1993). Lastly, I am waiting eagerly for the Philadelphia Orchestra online store to release more Sawallisch + Philadelphia Orchestra performances as downlioads. For example, Symphonie Fantastique (1998), The Planets (1999), Brahms Symphony No. 1 (1999), Carmina Burana (1998), Hindemith concertos (1995), Snowed-in Wagner gala (1994), etc.— the_zen_of_conducting
- I've been attending Philadelphia Orchestra concerts since about midway through Muti's tenure and without hesitation, I would say the best period for the Orchestra during that time was the last five or so years of Sawallisch's tenure. But even earlier on, I immediately noticed a change in the "sound" of the Orchestra after he took over for Muti, and I thought and still do think it was a change for the better (he moved them at least partially back in the direction of their classic "Philadelphia Sound"). I recall a period in the winter/spring of I believe 2002 or possibly 2001 when he led performances of Brahms' 4th, Beethoven's Eroica and Bruckner's 4th that still remain with me as being among the greatest live musical performances I've ever experienced, and all within a few months of each other. Happy Birthday, Maestro! You're sorely missed.— phlmaestro
- As I came back to this page several times, I wondered if the picture is really from 1966. He looks younger than he does in the pictures taken during his Bayreuth years (1957-1962). In the comments on the Dudamel post, it seems that there is a big discussion as to what makes an ideal conductor for top orchestras like the Philly. A short term solution for the dwindling box office revenue may be to hire someone whose primary job is to excite the audience. But such a conductor often has very limited repertoire. Moreover, I think classical music has much more depth than just being excited by occasional big or colorful sound. Seeking after exciting conductors without much musical content may actually accelerate the demise of classical music. I was very happy about Maestro Sawallisch's tenure in Philadelphia. He was already outstanding in the 1950s as in http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-No-4-G-Major-Dvorak/dp/B002JPJ5I2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1252281557&sr=1-1 and http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart-Symphonien-Nr-25-40/hnum/4280904.— the_zen_of_conducting
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