Former Philly Orchestra director Wolfgang Sawallisch died at age 89

Wolfgang Sawallisch. /Getty

Wolfgang Sawallisch, who served as the musical director of the Philadelphia Orchestra for 10 years died at his home in Grassau, Germany, on Friday. He was 89.

Sawallisch, a talented German conductor and pianist, took control of the Orchestra in 1993 at the age of 70. He led the celebrated symphony through a decade-long overhaul that reestablished the ensemble as one of the country’s finest.

Sawallisch conducted symphonies around the world: the London Philharmonic, Tokyo’s NHK Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and  La Scala in Milan, among others.