Wolfgang Sawallisch & The Philadelphia Orchestra: Rautavaara & Strauss

Recorded at the Kölner Philharmonie in 2000, this concert brings Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America's most prestigious ensembles, to a programme that sets two contrasting visions of orchestral narrative side by side. The European premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara's Symphony No. 8 "The Journey" opens the evening with spacious textures and quiet momentum. Richard Strauss's Sinfonia domestica then turns everyday family life into an expansive symphonic tableau, its vivid orchestration offering a striking counterbalance to Rautavaara's more reflective world.