Wolfgang Sawallisch (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ zaˈvalɪʃ]; born 26 August 1923) is a retired German conductor and pianist.
Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for conducting. He began his career at the opera house in Augsburg in 1947. There he became first coach and later pri...
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Wolfgang Sawallisch (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ zaˈvalɪʃ]; born 26 August 1923) is a retired German conductor and pianist.
Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for conducting. He began his career at the opera house in Augsburg in 1947. There he became first coach and later principal conductor: in 1952–53 he was personal assistant to Igor Markevitch at the International Summer Academy Mozarteum, Salzburg.
When he debuted at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus conducting Tristan und Isolde in 1957, he was the youngest conductor ever to appear there.
From 1960 to 1970 he was Principal Conductor of the Vienna Symphony. From 1971 to 1992, Sawallisch was Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera, and for several years from 1983, concurrently was the general manager of the company.
From 1993 to 2003 he was Music Director of the...
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