Celibidache categorically refused to release his performances on commercial recordings during his lifetime, claiming that a listener could not have a "transcendental experience" outside the concert hall. Many of the recordings of his performances were released posthumously. He has nonetheless earned international acclaim for his interpretations of the classical repertoire and was known for a spirited performance style informed by his study and experiences inZen Buddhism. He is regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.[3][4]
Sergiu Celibidache was born on 28 June 1912[5] to a father ofGreek descent and a Romanian mother.[6][7] His father, Demostene Celebidachi, (Greek: Δημοσθένης Τσελεπιδάκης) born inGalați,[7] became a cavalry officer of the Romanian army and later prefect of theIași region. His mother, Maria Celebidachi (née Brăteanu), was born inRoman, a small city in theMoldavia region of Romania, where his father was a government official.[8][9] He grew up inIași, where his family soon moved after his birth.[10] He was already improvising at the piano by the age of four, and after a traditional schooling in mathematics, philosophy and music in Iași, was sent by his father toBucharest and then toParis, where he continued his studies. His father had expected him to pursue a political career in Romania,[8][10] but in 1936 Celibidache enrolled in theHochschule für Musik (Academy of Music) in Berlin (German authorities erroneously changed his surname from Celebidachi to Celibidache, the form he was known under), where he studied composition withHeinz Tiessen and conducting withKurt Thomas, Walter Gmeindl andFritz Stein.[8][9] He continued with doctoral studies at theFriedrich Wilhelm University (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität), where he studied philosophy withNicolai Hartmann andEduard Spranger and musicology withArnold Schering andGeorg Schünemann.[8] He submitted a dissertation onJosquin des Prez and received his degree in 1944.[8][9] Throughout the 1940s, he accompanied and was romantically involved with Romanian-born dancer and choreographerIris Barbura. During his studies in Berlin, Celibidache was introduced toZen Buddhism by his teacher Martin Steinke, and Buddhism informed Celibidache's worldview and work for the rest of his life.[9] In a 1986 interview, he said, "I was born a Christian Orthodox, and studied philosophy, but I still couldn't find solutions to my problems. It was through Steinke that I found [...] the way of Zen. All I can say is that without Zen I couldn't have known this strange principle that the beginning is in the end, and the end is in the beginning. Music is nothing but the materialization of this principle."[11]
Wilhelm Furtwängler being banned for having conducted underHitler, Celibidache was principal conductor of theBerlin Philharmonic from 1945 to 1952. He got his big break shortly after the end of World War II in tragic circumstances:Leo Borchard, who was cleared to conduct by the American forces, was shot during a nocturnal car ride. Celibidache just won the contest organised by theBerlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. In search of a replacement, theBerlin Philharmonic took Celibidache away from theBerlin Radio Symphony Orchestra to become the youngest General Musik Director of theBerlin Philharmonic.[11] Following Furtwängler's denazification in 1947, Furtwängler was able to conduct theBerlin Philharmonic in alternance with Celibidache.
When in 1954 Furtwängler died, Celibidache who was already creating waves with the management regarding the age of some of the musicians as well as the limitations and dangers of recordings, was overlooked to be Furtwängler’s official successor. Instead, theBerlin Philharmonic choseHerbert von Karajan. It took 37 years before a collaboration could once again take place: the concert of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 happened only at the instigation of the German president at the time,Richard von Weizsäcker.
A controversy arose overdiscriminatory behaviour that came to light during a 12-year legal battle during his tenure at theMunich Philharmonic[15] with trombonistAbbie Conant. Celibidache claimed Conant lacked the "necessary strength" and "emotional empathy" to lead the trombone section.[16] She was asked to sit in the second chair.[17] Celibidache was not invited to give testimony at the trials.[18] Finally, the courts found in favour of Conant.[19] As a consequence, Conant was paid the same as her male colleagues.[17]
After 37 years of absence, Celibidache was asked by Federal PresidentRichard von Weizsacker to return to Berlin and conduct theBerlin Philharmonic one more time in order to symbolise the end of communism in Europe and theGerman Reunification. Celibidache conducted Bruckner 7th on the 31st of March 1992 with theBerlin Philharmonic.
Celibidache died at the age of 84 on 14 August 1996 atNemours, nearParis.[20] He was buried in the Cimetière de Neuville sur Essonne.
Bust of Sergiu Celibidache at his hometown inRoman
Celibidache's approach to music-making is often described more by what he did not do instead of what he did. For example, much has been made of Celibidache's "refusal" to make recordings even though almost all of his concert activity actually was recorded - having accepted live radio broadcasts - with many released posthumously by major labels such asEMI andDeutsche Grammophon with the consent of his family.[21] In his view, music is made of the cumulation of thousands of "Nos" and one final "yes" when the conditions are eventually all gathered during a concert. It was all about the live experience, the ability to be "in the now".
Celibidache's focus was indeed on creating, during each concert, the optimal conditions for what he called a "transcendent experience". Aspects ofZen Buddhism, such asichi-go ichi-e, strongly influenced his music making. He believed that transcendental experiences were extremely unlikely to ensue when listening to recorded music, so he eschewed them. As a result, some of his concerts did provide audiences with exceptional and sometimes life-altering experiences, including, for example, a 1984 concert inCarnegie Hall by the Orchestra of theCurtis Institute that New York Times criticJohn Rockwell described as the best of his 25 years of concert-going.[22]
Celibidache was well known for his demands for extensive rehearsal time with orchestras.[23] An oft-mentioned feature of many of his later concerts, captured in the live recordings of them, is a slower tempo than what is considered the norm, while in fast passages (especially in his earlier performances) his tempi often exceeded metronome markings by far.[24] In Celibidache's own view, however, criticism of a recording's tempo is irrelevant, as it is not (and cannot be) a critique of the performance but rather of a transcription of it, without the ambience of the moment, for him, a key factor in any musical performance. As Celibidache explained, the acoustic space in which one hears a concert directly affects the likelihood of the emergence of his sought-after transcendent experience. The acoustic space within which one hears a recording of one of his performances, on the other hand, has no impact on the performance, as it is impossible for the acoustic features of that space to stimulate musicians to play slower or faster.
That his recorded performances differ so widely from the majority of other recordings has led them to be seen by some as collectors' items rather than mainstream releases and 'one-offs' rather than reference recordings.[25]
^The 28 June 1912 date of birth was based on the old styleJulian calendar then officially used in Romania. According to the modernGregorian calendar that is currently used in the West, Celibidache's birthdate would be 11 July 1912.
^abLang, Klaus (2015).Celibidache şi Furtwängler : marele conflict postbelic de la Filarmonica din Berlin. București: Humanitas. pp. 16, 23.ISBN978-973-50-4878-5.OCLC967947126.
^Buzzarté, Monique. "We Need a Man for Solo Trombone: Abbie Conant's Story."IAWM Journal. (International Alliance for Women in Music, February 1996), 8–11. Available onlinehereArchived 29 March 2012 at theWayback Machine. (Retrieved 20 October 2012).
^Brief, Conant vs. LH München, AGM Aktz: 2 Ca 7022/82, February 3, 1983.
^Landeshauptstadt München Direktorium.Ehrenbürgerrecht der Landeshauptstadt München (Honorary Citizens of the Provincial Capital of Munich)located online here (Retrieved 1 September 2012).
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