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Wolfgang Sawallisch was a German conductor and pianist, known for his refined interpretations of orchestral and opera repertoire. As a pianist, he was a revered accompanist and chamber musician, as well as an accomplished soloist. He was born in 1923 in Munich to Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch, and had a brother named Werner who was older by five years. He started learning the piano at age five, and by the age of ten he had already decided that he wanted to be a concert pianist as an adult. Upon graduating high school in Munich in 1942, he studied piano with Wolfgang Ruoff until he was drafted into the military, where he served in France and Italy with the Wehrmacht, a branch of the Nazi armed forces. During the final stages of World War II in 1945 he was captured and held in a British POW camp. After he was released, he returned to Munich and began studying with composer Joseph Haas.

The size of the orchestra and the arrangement of the orchestra is similar to the situation of the historic Hofkapelle in Meiningen, where the composer’s 4th symphony had been performed for the first time Fascinating new sound impression of well known classical pieces. Appealing and interesting version of Brahms’ immortal symphonies. About the artists Mario Venzago is the principal conductor and artistic director of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Association at Finland's Tapiola Sinfonietta and a regular guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel. Before taking up conducting, Venzago was a concert pianist at Radiotelevisione Svizerra in Switzerland, and performed throughout Europe as a soloist and accompanist. Several of his CDs have won international prizes. His recordings of the operas «Venus» and «Penthesilea» and of all choral works by Othmar Schoeck with the MDR choir and symphony orchestra received great international recognition and prestigious awards. The Tapiola Sinfonietta ? the orchestra of the City of Espoo – is a high-quality chamber orchestra whose guest performers include leading Finnish and foreign conductors and soloists.