Thanks for posting this.  We just moved from Philadelphia after living
there for three years, and we were subscribers for two years.  We were
very impressed with Sawallisch after every concert.  Highlights would have
to be an all Schubert concert three years ago, a Haydn & Berlioz concert
two years ago (a riveting and lovely Symphonie Fantastique), a wonderful
Ein Heldenleben and Metamorphosen (and I dislike Heldenleben usually),
the Berg Violin Concerto with Chung (brilliant--the appearance of the Bach
chorale was very moving), the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Chang (another
piece I don't usually like--very good finale, much better than Mutter/Masur
were on TV), Bruckner 6, Martinu 4, Bartok's Piano Concerto #1 with
Uchida....  He's very attentive to the lyrical dimension in music, but
without sacrificing drama or power.  He uses incredibly subtle dynamic
and tempo shifts, and the sound he gets out of the orchestra live is just
fantastic.  Now I live in Southern New Mexico, which is a very nice part of
the world, but no more Philadelphia Orchestra *sigh*.  I also think he's a
great conductor of vocal music, and I'll be very interested to hear how the
performance of Missa Solemnis goes this year.  Oh, he's also a wonderful
pianist (he did Kindertotenlieder with Hvorovsky (sp?) season before last
in a chamber concert--very powerful performance, given that he doesn't even
like Mahler).

Somehow he's gotten the reputation as a dull conductor.  I haven't heard
enough of his recordings to know why that is, but it mystifies me.

Aren't you sorry you posted this now?  I did run on a little...

Brian Rourke <[log in to unmask]>