Romanian Conductor Sergiu Celibidache Died in 1996

Celibidache served principal conducting positions in many major European orchestras

Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache is celebrated as one of the pre-eminent conductors of the 20th Century – having served in Principal positions with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Munich Philharmonic, and the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, among other European orchestras.

Educated in his homeland of Romania and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's musical career extended over fifty years.

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 | 1983