Science 2023 07 21

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.

Following the critically acclaimed album of Byrd’s 1589 collection, Alamire returns with the completion of their survey of the early song collections with the 1589 Collection, in this, the composer’s 400th anniversary year. • Alamire is joined by viol consort Fretwork and director David Skinner. • Byrd’s first song collection was published in 1588. In following year he writes that he had ‘bene encouraged thereby, to take further paines therein, and to make the pertaker thereof, because I would shew my selfe gratefull to thee for thy loue, and desirous to delight thee with varietie, whereof (in my opinion) no Science is more plentifully adorned then Musicke.’

Get the balloons up! It’s the 100th issue of Electronic Sound this month and we’re heading into THE FUTURE with a special themed edition of the magazine. We are also bundling the issue with ‘FUTURISM’, a superb double CD featuring 23 tracks, 10 of them previously unreleased.