The Warner Classics Edition

For five decades, Wolfgang Sawallisch (1923-2013) held a central position in the world of music. This central position was reflected in a series of top positions with orchestras and opera houses and in his interpretations, which were free from self-indulgent eccentricity. His modest yet highly effective conducting technique also made him an ideal recording artist. Sawallisch was Bavarian, born in Munich, the city of orchestras and grand operas, which he conducted for 21 years. He began his career as an outstanding pianist and remained a sought-after accompanist for great soloists. The first part of his complete Warner Classics recordings (made between 1954 and 1997 for Electrola and EMI Classics) contains beautiful lieder and recitals, famous concert accompaniments and a heartwarming cross-section of Schubert's secular vocal and sacred choral music with colleagues from the Bayerischer Rundfunk. The focus of the 65 recordings, however, is on his symphonic works: Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner and Dvořák - whose 8th Symphony is his first published recording from 1954. Richard Strauss is strongly represented as an early influence. In September 2024, a second box with recordings of his opera will be released.