(arte) Sergiu Celibidache Maestro Furioso (2012)

Since Sergiu Celibidache s appointment as their chief conductor in 1979, the Munich Philharmonic developed into one of the finest orchestras in the world. Their performances of Bruckner, in particular, were in a class of their own and where orchestra and conductor truly excelled. It is in the symphonies of Anton Bruckner that the grandeur of the music unfolds organically, its power innocent of all brutality, its monumentality issuing from stillness and austerity. Says Celibidache, "Every performance of a Bruckner symphony is a first performance, every rehearsal is a thousandfold NO designed to achieve a single YES."

The Munich Philharmonic and Sergiu Celibidache share an exceptional legacy. He started his work as principal conductor in 1979 and remained in this position for as long as 17 years. Sergiu Celibidache played an integral part in making the Munich Philharmonic what it is today: an orchestra of worldwide renown.

Warner Classics presents a box-set of Sergiu Celibidache's Bruckner recordings with Münchner Philharmoniker in Munich. These legendary performances are the summit of the Romanian conductor’s legacy, a true mystical experience for the listener!

Warner Classics presents a box-set of Sergiu Celibidache's Bruckner recordings with Münchner Philharmoniker in Munich. These legendary performances are the summit of the Romanian conductor’s legacy, a true mystical experience for the listener!

Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Sergiu Celibidache und den Berliner Philharmonikern begann am 29. August 1945, im einem der tragischsten Momente der Orchestergeschichte. Das angestammte Haus, der Konzertsaal in der Bernburger Straße, lag zerbombt in Schutt und Asche, Chefdirigent Wilhelm Furtwängler durfte, auf sein Entnazifizierungsverfahren wartend, nicht dirigieren und Interimsdirigent Leo Borchard war wenige Tage zuvor versehentlich von einem amerikanischen Wachposten erschossen worden. Das verwaiste Orchester suchte händeringend nach einem Leiter, der die bereits geplanten Konzerte übernehmen konnte. Von den großen Dirigenten stand keiner zur Verfügung und so erhielt ein junger, unbekannter Hochschulabsolvent, der gerade den Dirigentenwettbewerb des Rundfunkorchesters gewonnen hatte, seine große Chance: Sergiu Celibidache. Der damals 33-jährige Rumäne, Schüler von Heinz Tiessen und Walter Gmeindl sowie ein großer Bewunderer Furtwänglers, besaß wenig Erfahrung, aber Talent, Ehrgeiz und Charisma.

Today Daniel Barenboim is internationally recognized and revered as an orchestral and operatic conductor, pianist, and a musical ambassador and also as a humanitarian. Partnering him is the remarkable conductor Sergiu Celibidache. “He was one of the greatest musicians I ever encountered”, says Barenboim. Sergiu Celibidache has been called a musical giant, a magician, a brilliant lion-tamer and an enfant terrible of classical music. He was a legend in his own lifetime, mesmerizing orchestras audiences and critics with his intensity and brilliance.
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 is one of the most popular of his compositions and among the best known of all piano concerti. The Schumann concerto is no less influential with its influence heard in Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Both works show Barenboim at his consummate best.

Sergiu Celibidache's penchant for meticulous orchestral balances and spacious tempi threatens to embalm Iberia's swaggering rhythms. On the other hand, the late conductor's patient, sumptuous detailing makes for one of the most riveting (and longest) versions of La Mer on disc. Every Debussy lover should try to hear it.

Since Sergiu Celibidache s appointment as their chief conductor in 1979, the Munich Philharmonic developed into one of the finest orchestras in the world. Their performances of Bruckner, in particular, were in a class of their own and where orchestra and conductor truly excelled. It is in the symphonies of Anton Bruckner that the grandeur of the music unfolds organically, its power innocent of all brutality, its monumentality issuing from stillness and austerity. Says Celibidache, "Every performance of a Bruckner symphony is a first performance, every rehearsal is a thousandfold NO designed to achieve a single YES."