Wolfgang Sawallisch: In Memoriam

Wolfgang Sawallisch passed away on February 22 at the age of 89. He had been in retirement for some years. He was born in Munich and followed the traditional path of young conductors of his generation through smaller opera houses and ending up as music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. He became known as an authoritative conductor of the music of Richard Strauss and Carl Orff among others. But he had a wide repertoire that encompassed the work of many contemporary composers.

Sawallisch was undemonstrative in his conducting style but behind that restrained demeanour lay a a vast musical knowledge. With lesser orchestras he could be dull. Years ago I attended a concert conducted by Sawallisch with the Vienna Symphony that was notable only for its blandness. Yet years later he conducted a superb performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations with the Philadelphia Orchestra that was as fine as any I have ever heard.

He made numerous recordings and most of them are excellent. I particularly treasure a set of the Schuman symphonies with the Dresden Staaatskapelle.

Sawallisch was a first-rate pianist and often appeared with leading singers in lieder recitals and in chamber music performances. One of the legendary stories about Sawallisch is the time a major snowstorm hit Philadelphia and prevented the orchestra from getting to the hall. Sawallisch made it though and insisted that the show must go on. It was an all-Wagner program and he played all the orchestral parts on the piano himself.

Sawallisch was beloved by musicians wherever he went, not least of all by the members of the Israel Philharmonic. In this 2001 video he leads the IPO in an excerpt from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It's a beautiful performance full of rich string playing and carefully realized detail.

Paul E. Robinson

Yannick Conducts the Berlin Philharmonic

As if Yannick Nezet-Seguin were not busy enough leading the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Orchestre Metropolitain as music director, he still finds time to guest conduct many of the world's greatest orchestras. Just a month ago he was in Germany for concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic. Here he is on the podium with that orchestra in an excerpt from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.

Paul E. Robinson

Nelsons Conducts Ravel

One of the most talked-about young conductors today is Andris Nelsons. His career in North America has been limited so far but there seems to be a relationship developing with the Boston Symphony. The orchestra hasn't had a music director since James Levine resigned several years ago. Here is a recent video of Nelsons conducting Ravel's La Valse with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Paul E. Robinson

A Late Quartet

There are not many commercial films that use classical music in their sound tracks, fewer still have plot lines about classical musicians. A new film called "A Late Quartet" has both. It's about a prominent string quartet thrown into turmoil when one of its members is forced to retire due to illness. The film explores the delicate chemistry between the members of the group. In the end, any ensemble is a group of individuals each possessing his or her own needs and frustrations. What keeps a string quartet going is partly the music, partly the routine, partly success. But it is also mysterious and complicated. The music featured in the film is Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 131. The quartet works on the piece throughout the movie and presents a complete performance in concert at the end. The movie is unique in exploring the relationships between members of a string quartet and with a cast of excellent actors it is totally engrossing.

 Paul E. Robinson