Conductor Sergiu Celibidache Was Born On This Day in 1912

Luminary Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache was born on this day in 1912

Dying in 1996, Maestro Celibidache is celebrated as one of the pre-eminent conductors of the 20th Century – having served Principal positions with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Munich Philharmonic.

Educated in his homeland of Romania and larer in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's musical career extended over fifty years. He served as the principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, among other European orchestras.

He is remembered for his Zen-like approach to music making – advocating what he described as ‘creation of the transcendent experience’. Celibidache frequently 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.

Later in his life, he taught at Mainz University in Germany and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

TCHAIKOVSKY | SYMPHONY NO. 5 | SERGIU CELIBIDACHE & MUNICH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA