Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian conductor,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures as principal conductor of the

Munich Philharmonic The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orche ...

, the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

, the

RAI National Symphony Orchestra The RAI National Symphony Orchestra () is an Italian symphony radio orchestra, owned by the public radio and television company RAI. Its primary concert venue is the Auditorium RAI in the Piazza Rossaro in Turin. Its concerts are broadcast on Ra ...

, the Orchestre de Radio France, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and many other European orchestras such as the

Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: ''Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR'') was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. History The ensemble was founded in 1945 by American occupation authorities as the orches ...

, the

Danish National Symphony Orchestra The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (DNSO; ), is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation). The DRSO is based at the Koncerthuset () concert hall in Copenhagen. Histo ...

or the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

. Considering teaching as one of the most important activities, he taught music and musical phenomelogy at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy as well as at

Mainz University The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz () is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. It has been named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. it had approximately 32,000 students enrolled in around 100 a ...

in Germany, at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, at the

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (SHMF) is a classical music festival held each summer throughout the state of Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany. History The festival was founded in 1986 by German concert pianist and conductor Justus Fr ...

in Germany and towards the end at the

Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...

in Paris. 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 in

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

. He is regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Sergiu Celibidache was born on 28 June 1912 to a father of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

descent and a Romanian mother. His father, Demostene Celebidachi, (

: Δημοσθένης Τσελεπιδάκης) born in

Galați Galați ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the river Danube. and the sixth-larges ...

, became a cavalry officer of the Romanian army and later prefect of the

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

region. His mother, Maria Celebidachi (née Brăteanu), was born in

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, a small city in the

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

region of Romania, where his father was a government official.Naxos – Sergiu Celibidache (Biography
Sergiu Celibidache
Retrieved 31 August 2012.EMI Classics. Sergiu Celibidache (1912–1996)
Biography
Retrieved 31 August 2012. He grew up in

, where his family soon moved after his birth.Biography
/ref> 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 to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

and then to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he continued his studies. His father had expected him to pursue a political career in Romania, but in 1936 Celibidache enrolled in the Hochschule 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 with Heinz Tiessen and conducting with Kurt Thomas, Walter Gmeindl and Fritz Stein. He continued with doctoral studies at the Friedrich Wilhelm University (Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität), where he studied philosophy with

Nicolai Hartmann Paul Nicolai Hartmann (; 20 February 1882 – 9 October 1950) was a German philosopher. He is regarded as a key representative of critical realism and as one of the most important twentieth-century metaphysicians. Biography Hartmann was born a ...

and Eduard Spranger and musicology with

Arnold Schering Arnold Schering (2 April 1877 in Breslau, German Empire – 7 March 1941 in Berlin) was a German musicologist. He grew up in Dresden as the son of an art publisher. He learned violin at the from which he graduated in 1896. Thereafter he studied ...

and Georg Schünemann. He submitted a dissertation on

Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...

and received his degree in 1944. Throughout the 1940s, he accompanied and was romantically involved with Romanian-born dancer and choreographer Iris Barbura. During his studies in Berlin, Celibidache was introduced to

by his teacher Martin Steinke, and Buddhism informed Celibidache's worldview and work for the rest of his life. 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."

Career

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , ; ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest Symphony, symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a majo ...

being banned for having conducted under

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, Celibidache was principal conductor of the

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 the

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has a ...

. In search of a replacement, the

took Celibidache away from the

to become the youngest General Musik Director of the

. Following Furtwängler's denazification in 1947, Furtwängler was able to conduct the

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, the

chose Herbert 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. Celibidache later worked with radio orchestras in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

and

. He also worked in Britain in the late 1940s and 1950s, due partly to the promotional efforts of the pianist Eileen Joyce and her partner, an artists' agent. Joyce said that Celibidache was the greatest conductor she had ever worked with: "he was the only one who got inside my soul". In 1970 he was awarded

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

's Sonning Award. From 1979 until his death he was music director of the

. He regularly taught at Hochschule für Musik Mainz in Germany and in 1984 taught at the Curtis Institute in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Teaching was a major focus throughout his life and his courses were frequently open to all without any fee. Among his notable students are Enrique García Asensio, Konrad von Abel, Françoys Bernier, Raffaele Napoli, Rony Rogoff, Bernhard Sieberer, Markand Thakar, and Nils-Göran Areskoug. He appeared in the film '' Ambassadors of Music'' (1952), conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's Egmont overture. Later, he was the subject of two major documentaries: "Celibidache, let it evolve" by Jan Schmidt-Garre and "Celibidache's Garden" by his son Serge Ioan Celebidachi.

Later years

A controversy arose over

discriminatory Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sexu ...

behaviour that came to light during a 12-year legal battle during his tenure at the

with trombonist

Abbie Conant Abbie Conant is an American trombonist and former professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen. She was selected in a blind audition as the overwhelming first choice for Principal Trombonist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra ...

. Celibidache claimed Conant lacked the "necessary strength" and "emotional empathy" to lead the trombone section. She was asked to sit in the second chair. Celibidache was not invited to give testimony at the trials. Finally, the courts found in favour of Conant. As a consequence, Conant was paid the same as her male colleagues. After 37 years of absence, Celibidache was asked by Federal President Richard von Weizsacker to return to Berlin and conduct the

one more time in order to symbolise the end of communism in Europe and the

German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

. Celibidache conducted Bruckner 7th on the 31st of March 1992 with the

. Celibidache died at the age of 84 on 14 August 1996 at

Nemours Nemours () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of M ...

, near

. He was buried in the Cimetière de Neuville sur Essonne.

Performance style

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 as

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

and

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

with the consent of his family. 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 of

, such as ''

ichi-go ichi-e is a Japanese language, Japanese four-character idiom (''yojijukugo'') that describes a cultural concept of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment. The term has been roughly translated as "for this time only", and "once in a lifetime". T ...

'', 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 in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

by the Orchestra of the Curtis Institute that New York Times critic

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to ''Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ki ...

described as the best of his 25 years of concert-going. Celibidache was well known for his demands for extensive rehearsal time with orchestras. 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. 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.

Personal life

In 1965, Celibidache married Ioana Procopie Dumitrescu (1924-2012). They had one son, Sergiu Ioan Celibidache ("Serge"), born 19 June 1968.

Compositions

Most of his music compositions are not performed and not published.

Major compositions

*Der Taschengarten (ca.1978) - published by

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

* Haz de Necaz (ca. 1992) - published by

*Hommage to Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (ca.1995) - unpublished *Requiem Mass - unpublished *4 Symphonies - unpublished

Discography

Notable releases have been his Munich performances of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

and a series of live performances with the

and the

: * 1945: Debussy/Roussel: ''Petite Suites'', with Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (Naxos) * 1945: Prokofiev: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Prokofiev Symphony in D major, Op. 25 “Classical” (HMV C 3729-30) 78 rpm * 1948: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 LPO (Decca AK 2036-41 78 rpm) * 1949: Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (Decca AK 2197-9 78 rpm) * 1951: Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (Decca LXT 2558) * 1951: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 LPO (Decca LXT 2545) * 1969: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 LPO (Decca Eclipse ECM 833) * 1985: Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Electrecord) * 1988: Mendelssohn: Sinfonia N. 4 "Italian"; Dvořák: ''Sinfonia N. 9 Dal Nuovo Mondo'' (Frequenz) * 1990: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5; Nutcracker Suite (London) * 1991: Mozart: Requiem; Vivaldi: Stabat Mater (Arkadia) * 1991: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique"; Roméo et Juliette (Arkadia) * 1994: Brahms: Symphony No. 2 & Haydn Variations, Op. 56a (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * 1994: Brahms: Symphony Nos. 3 & 4 (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * 1994: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Andromeda) * 1994: Mozart: Grand Mass, K. 427 (Cetra) * 1995: Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 2 & 4 (Nas) * 1997: Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Beethoven: Symphony Nos. 4 & 5 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Debussy: ''La Mer''; Iberia (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Haydn: Symphony Nos 103 & 104 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Mozart: Symphony No. 40; Haydn: "Oxford Symphony" (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Ravel: ''Ma Mère l'Oye''; ''Bolero'', ''Le tombeau de Couperin''; ''Alborada del Gracioso'' (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * 1997: ''S. Celibidache Conducts Beethoven & Brahms'' (Tahra) * 1997: Schubert: Symphony No. 9 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Schumann: Symphonies 3 & 4 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Tchaikovsky: ''Romeo and Juliet Fantasy''–Overture; Mussorgsky: ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1997: ''The Young Celibidache'', Vol. II (Tahra) * 1997: Wagner: ''Orchestral Music'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 1998: Bruckner 3 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1998: Bruckner 4 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1998: Bruckner 6 (EMI Classics) * 1998: Bruckner 7; Te Deum (EMI Music Distribution) * 1998: Bruckner 8 (EMI Classics) * 1998: Bruckner 9 in Concert and Rehearsal (EMI Classics) * 1998: Bruckner: Mass in F minor (EMI Music Distribution) * 1998: Bruckner: Symphonies No. 3-9; Mass in F minor, Te Deum (EMI Classics) * 1998: Shostakovich: Symphonie No. 7 (Magic Talent) * 1999: Beethoven: Symphonies No. 2 & 4 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; ''Leonore'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Brahms: ''Ein deutsches Requiem'' (Audiophile Classics) * 1999: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 4 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Brahms: Symphony No. 1; ''Ein deutsches Requiem'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Celibidache Conducts Beethoven 7 & 8 (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: Mussorgsky: ''Pictures at an Exhibition''; Stravinsky: ''The Fairy's Kiss Suite'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * 1999: Prokofiev: Scythian Suite; Symphony No. 5 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 1999: Rimsky-Korsakov: ''Sheherazade''; Stravinsky: ''The Firebird Suite'' (Version 1923) (Deutsche Grammophon) * 1999: Schumann: Symphony No. 2; Brahms: ''Haydn Variations'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 1999: ''Sergiu Celebidache (Box)'' (No Noise) * 1999: Strauss: ''Don Juan''; ''Tod und Verklärung''; Respighi: ''Pini di Roma'' (Rehearsals) (Deutsche Grammophon) * 1999: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 Op. 17 "Piccola Russia"; Dvořák: Concerto Op. 104 (Urania) * 1999: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2; Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (Arkadia) * 2000: Brahms: Symphony No. 2; Mozart: Symphony No. 25 (Urania) * 2000: Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3–5 (Box Set) (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 (Rehearsal) (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Bruckner: Symphony No. 5; Mozart: Symphony No. 35 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Franck: Symphony in D; Hindemith: ''Mathis der Mahler'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Richard Strauss: ''Till Eulenspiegel''; ''Don Juan''; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2000: Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished"; Tchaikovsky: ''Nutcracker Suite'' (Aura Classics) * 2000: Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 (Deutsche Grammophon) * 2001: ''Sergiu Celibidache'' (Classica d'Oro) * 2001: ''Sergiu Celibidache et la Philharmonie de Berlin'' (Tahra) * 2001: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" (Classica d'Oro) * 2002: Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5; Violin Concerto No. 1 (Classica d'Oro) * 2003: Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 "Italian"; Bizet: Symphony in C (Archipel) * 2004: Bach: Mass in B minor (EMI Classics) * 2004: Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3–5, 7–9

ox Set An ox (: oxen), also known as a bullock (in British, Australian, and Indian English), is a large bovine, trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle, because castration inhibits testosterone and agg ...

(Deutsche Grammophon) * 2004: ''Celibidache Conducts Milhaud & Roussel'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 2004: ''Celibidache Plays Mozart's Requiem'' (EMI Classics) * 2004: Fauré: Requiem; Stravinsky: ''Symphony of Psalms'' ive(EMI Music Distribution) * 2004: Overtures by Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Schubert, Smetana & Strauss (EMI Music Distribution) * 2004: Prokofiev: Symphonies 1 & 5 (EMI Music Distribution) * 2004: Rimsky-Korsakov: ''Scheherazade'' (EMI Music Distribution) * 2004: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 'Leningrad' (Pickwick) * 2006: Celibidache: ''Der Taschengarten'' (Universal Classics & Jazz) * 2006: Celibidache: The Complete EMI Edition imited Edition

(EMI Classics) * 2006: Sergiu Celibidache: ''Lesen & Hören'' D+Book* 2007: Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 "Eroica"; Overture Leonre III (Archipel) * 2007: Bruckner: Symphony No. 5 * 2007: Schumann: Symphony No. 4; Mussorgsky: ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' * 2008: ''Sergiu Celibedache Conducts Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester'' (Orfeo) * n.d.: Anton Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8; Brahms: ''Haydn Variations'', Op. 56 (Exclusive) * n.d.: Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E major (As Disc) * n.d.: Antonín Dvořák: Symphony N. 7; Johann Strauss Jr.: ''Die Fledermaus'' Overture (Artists) * n.d.: Bach: Mass in B minor (Exclusive) * n.d.: Beethoven: Concerto No. 5 for Piano and Orchestra "Emperor" (Electrecord) * n.d.: Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (Artists) * n.d.: Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Bach: ''Brandenburg Coincerto'' No. 3; Ravel: ''Le Tombeau de Couperin'' (Archipel) * n.d.: Berlioz: ''Symphonie fantastique'', Op. 14; ''Roméo et Juliette'' (Arkadia) * n.d.: Brahms: ''Ein deutsches Requiem'' (Myto Records) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1–4

(Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 2–4; Variations on a theme from Haydn (Acum) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Acum) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphony No. 1 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (Rehearsal) (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Brahms: Symphony Nos. 2 & 3 (Legend) * n.d.: Brahms: ''The Complete Symphonies''; ''Haydn Variations''; ''Alto Rhapsody'' (Living Stage) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphonies 4 & 9 (Exclusive) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphonies 7 & 8 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphonies 7–9

(Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphony 7 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphony 9 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (Exclusive) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 (Arkadia) * n.d.: Bruckner: Symphony No8, WAB108; Schubert: Symphony in Bf No5, D485 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: ''Celibidache''

(Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Debussy & Ravel'' (Box Set) (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Debussy'' (FED) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Debussy / Respighi / Milhaud'' (Originals) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev'' (Box Set) (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Ravel & Stravinsky'' (Originals) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Stravinsky'' (Arlecchino) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Conducts Tchaikovsky'' (Grammofono 2000) * n.d.: ''Celibidache Festival'' (Originals) * n.d.: ''Celibidache, Vol. 1: Symphonies'' (EMI Classics) * n.d.: ''Celibidache, Vol. 3: French & Russian Music'' (EMI Classics) * n.d.: ''Celibidache, Vol. 4: Sacred Music & Opera'' (EMI Classics) * n.d.: Debussy: ''Ibéria''; Ravel: ''Rapsodie espagnole''; ''Alborada del gracioso'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Debussy: ''La Mer'' (Rehearsal) (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Debussy: ''La Mer''; '' La Damoiselle élue''; Milhaud: ''Saudades do Brazil'' (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: Debussy: ''Nocturnes''; ''La Mer'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Dvořák: Concerto in B minor / ''Eight Slavonic Dances'' (Arkadia) * n.d.: Dvořák: Violin Concerto; Symphony 9 (Concerto) * n.d.: Franck: ''Symphonie en Ré mineur''; Wagner: ''Siegfried-Idyll''; ''Tristan und Isolde'' prelude (Arkadia) * n.d.: ''Great Conductors of the 20th Century'', Vol. 39: Sergiu Celibidache (EMI Music Distribution) * n.d.: Haydn: Symphony No. 103; Mozart: Symphony No. 38 (Originals) * n.d.: Haydn: Symphony No. 104 "London"; Debussy: ''Jeux''; Igor Stravinsky: ''Jeux de Cartes'' (Urania) * n.d.: ''Legendary Performers'' Vol. 2 (As Disc) * n.d.: Mozart: ''Great Mass in C minor'', K. 427; Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, K. 365; ''Haffner Serenade'', K. 250 (Acum) * n.d.: Mozart: ''Great Mass in C minor'', K. 427; ''Haffner Serenade'', K. 250 (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: Mozart: Requiem (Artists) * n.d.: Mozart: Requiem (Il Sabato) * n.d.: Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41; Schubert: Symphony No. 5; Schumann: Symphony No. 2 (Living Stage) * n.d.: Mozart: Symphony No. 41; Schubert: Symphony No. 5 (Memories) * n.d.: Mussorgsky: ''Pictures at an Exhibition''; Cherubini: Symphony in D major; Bäck: ''Intrada for Orchestra'' (Originals) * n.d.: Mussorgsky: ''Pictures at an Exhibition''; Strauss: ''Don Juan'' (Artist) * n.d.: Prokofiev: Romeo E Giulietta/Berlioz: Romeo E Giulietta/Tchaikovsky: Romeo E Giulietta (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: Prokofiev: ''Romeo et Juliet'' (Extracts) (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5; Prokofiev, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky: ''Romeo et Juliet'' (Acum) * n.d.: Ravel: ''La Valse''; ''Daphnis et Chloé''; Suite No. 2; ''Le Tombeau de Couperin'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Richard Strauss: ''Tod und Verklärung''; ''Vier letzte Lieder''; Igor Stravinsky: ''L'oiseau de feu''; Ravel: ''Daphnis et Chloé'' (Acum) * n.d.: Rimsky-Korsakov: ''Schéhérazade'' (Originals) * n.d.: ''RTSI Orchestra Conducted by Sergiu Celibidache: Schubert, Tchaikovsky'' * n.d.: Schubert/Schumann: Symphonies (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 8; Schumann: Symphonies No. 1 "Primavera" & 2 (Acum) * n.d.: Schubert: Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9; Franck: Symphony in D minor; Mussorgsky-Ravel: ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' (Urania) * n.d.: Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54; Richard Strauss: ''Vier letzte Lieder'' (Artists Live Recording) * n.d.: Schumann: Symphony Nos. 1 & 2 (Cetra) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache alla RAI'', Vol. 1: Johannes Brahms – Sinfonie 1–4, Variazione su un tema di Haydn (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Alla Rai'', Vol. 5 (Fonit-Cetra Italia) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts'' (Artists) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts'' (EMI Classics) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts'' (Enterprise) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts'' (Urania) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts Beethoven'': Symphonies Nos. 2 & 4 (FED) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache conducts Blacher, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Cherubini, Schwarz-Schilling'' (Tahra) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts Brahms'': ''Ein Deutsches Requiem'', Op. 45 (IDIS) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache conducts Franck, Tchaikovsky'' (IDIS) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts Mendelssohn, Haydn, Beethoven'' (IDIS) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache conducts Schubert & Schumann'' (IDIS) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache Conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker'' (Myto Records) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache'', Vol. 1 (Arlecchino) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache: From the collection of Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv'' (Music & Arts) * n.d.: ''Sergiu Celibidache: Magier des Klangs'' (Documents) * n.d.: Shostakovich: Symphonies 1 & 9; Barber: ''Adagio for Strings'' (EMI Classics) * n.d.: Shostakovich: Symphony No 5, Op. 47; Symphony No. 9, Op. 70 (Arkadia) * n.d.: Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" (Grammofono 2000) * n.d.: Strauss: ''Don Juan''; ''Tod und Verklärung''; Respighi: ''Pini di Roma'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Strauss: ''Ein Heldenleben'' (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: Stravinsky: ''L'Oiseau de feu''; Ravel: ''Daphnis et Chloé''; ''La Valse''; ''Pavane pour une infante défunte'' (Cetra) * n.d.: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4; Nutcracker Suite (Angel Records / EMI Classics) * n.d.: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6; Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610 – Ave Maris Stella (Archipel) * n.d.: ''The Art of Sergiu Celibidache'', Volume 1–7 (Arlecchino) * n.d.: ''The Complete RIAS Recordings'' (Audite) * n.d.: ''The Stuttgart Recordings'', Vol. 3 (Deutsche Grammophon) * n.d.: ''The Unpublished Celibidache in Naples'' (Originals) * n.d.: Verdi: Requiem (EMI Classics) * n.d.: Wagner: ''Tristan und Isolde'', WWV90; ''Siegfried Idyll'', WWV103 (Arkadia)

Honors, awards, and decorations

* 1954: Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany * 1955:

Berliner Kunstpreis The ''Berliner Kunstpreis'' (Berlin Art Prize), officially Großer Berliner Kunstpreis, is a prize for the arts by the City of Berlin. It was first awarded in 1948 in several fields of art. Since 1971, it has been awarded by the Academy of Art ...

(Germany) * 1970: Chevalier of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

(Sweden) * 1970: Léonie Sonning Music Prize (Denmark) * 1984: Franco Abbiati Prize (Italy) * 1987: Nettuno d'oro (Italy) * 1991: Bavarian Order of Merit (Germany) * 1992: Honorary Citizen of the City of Munich (''Ehrenbürgerrecht von München'')Landeshauptstadt München Direktorium. ''Ehrenbürgerrecht der Landeshauptstadt München'' (Honorary Citizens of the Provincial Capital of Munich
located online here
(Retrieved 1 September 2012). * 1992: Honorary Member of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

* 1993: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art (Germany) * 1994: ''Doctor honoris causa'', Iași Academy of Art and

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in , Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former was converted to a university, the University of , as it was named ...

* 1994: Honorary Citizen (Cetățean de Onoare) of Iași (Romania) * 1994: Order of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) * 1995: Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (France)

Notes

References

External links

* * *
A collection of anecdotes revealing Sergiu Celibidache's personality

* ttp://www.fundatia-celibidache.com/ Sergiu Celibidache Foundationwebsite {{DEFAULTSORT:Celibidache, Sergiu 1912 births 1996 deaths Romanian people of Greek descent 20th-century Romanian conductors (music) Knights of the Order of Vasa Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Roman, Romania Recipients of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Romanian emigrants to France Romanian male conductors (music) 20th-century Romanian male musicians Naturalized citizens of Germany Principal conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic Chief conductors of the Munich Philharmonic Chief conductors of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Principal conductors of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra Chief conductors of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

Early life and education

Career

Later years

Performance style

Personal life

Compositions

Major compositions

Discography

Honors, awards, and decorations

Notes

References

See also

Further reading

External links