"Fire and reflection, temperament and discipline, clarity and passion" – the qualities music critic Karl Schumann used to characterize the young conductor Wolfgang

Sawallisch (1923 - 2013). The 10 CDs in this first comprehensive collection of recordings from the first decade of his sensational career are ample proof of this. They include his internationally renowned recordings of Richard Strauss and Carl Orff, the debut and later triumphs at the Bayreuth Festival, as well as the "golden years" as head of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra as Karajan’s successor. After studying music in Munich, Sawallisch's first practical experiences came as repetiteur and orchestra leader in Augsburg, assistant with Igor Markevitch in Salzburg, his debut with the Berlin Philharmonics (1953) and appointments as general music director in Aachen (until 58), Wiesbaden (58-60 ) and Cologne (60-63). From 1960 on he directed the Vienna Symphony Orchestra for ten years and from 1961-72 also the Philharmonic State Orchestra in Hamburg. In 1971 he returned as music director to the State Opera of his hometown Munich and also was its director from 1982 to 93. Sawallisch rounded off his international career as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1993.