The Philadelphia Orchestra is mourning the loss of its conductor laureate, Wolfgang Sawallisch, who served as the ensemble's sixth music director from 1993 until 2003. He passed away on February 22, 2013 at his home in Grassau, Germany at age 89.
The maestro guest conducted all over the world, and had previously led the Opera Theater of Augsburg, the Vienna Symphony, L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Hamburg Philharmonic, and for more than two decades, the Bavarian State Opera. He was also a gifted pianist, playing chamber music and filling in for The Philadelphia Orchestra itself during an ice storm when an all-Wagner with singers was scheduled.
Susan Lewis profiles the maestro, focusing on his Philadelphia years, speaking with Philadelphia Orchestra violinists Davyd Booth and Jonathan Beiler, cellists Gloria de Pasquale, Kathy Reed, and Richard Harlow, and bassoonist Mark Gigliotti about their memories of the Sawallisch years.
