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An interesting and a rather unsual pick on HN. Celibidache, the Romanian conductor seen in the video, was nortorious for his perfectionism, similar to his conte

An interesting and a rather unsual pick on HN. Celibidache, the Romanian conductor seen in the video, was nortorious for his perfectionism, similar to his contemporary Carlos Klieber. He would take 3 times as much more time for rehearsals, much to the chagrin of concert organizers. Despite or because of his limited repotroire, he was known to be very precise in his directions, often reciting every phrase for every instrument while adjusting the orchestra during reheasals. His strongest renditions are that of Bruckner. Unlike other conductors, such as the classical "rockstar" Karajan, he would approach the symphonies in a glacial pace, often ending up 30 minutes longer than a typical rendition. However, this is where his craftmanship shines, with precise and transcendent harmonics that no other rendition can achieve. His 8th symphony is an experience one can not miss in his lifetime. It's actually my first time hearing his rendition of Bolero, but I've already noticed the mark of the conductor: taking time to make sure each phrase is accurately pronounced. I'll have to re-listen for more observations. In addition, Celibidache was not a perfect person. He was later known for his sexism, refusing to hire a qualified trombonist as first trombone after she passed a screen-blinded audition. [1] [1] https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/music/female-trombonist-fought-battle-against-orchestra-sexism-1.628198 https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/music/female-tro...

bjoli 8y ago
The Swedish radio orchestra still has one of the best string sections I have ever heard, which is commonly attributed to a tradition started with Celebidache. Every time I play there I am always amazed by how well they play together and how they sound.
alxlaz 8y ago
One of the things I enjoy about his renditions is how much you can discover (and re-discover) about a piece. Dvorak's 9th symphony, for example, which lends itself a lot to personal interpretation, has a lot of variety in its renditions, but few are as haunting and expressive as Celibidache's. After I heard it for the first time, all the others seemed a little bland, even Karajan's. He was not the most conventional of conductors, but he certainly enriched the world of music through his activity. As for his personal views and his personal life... one of the first painful lessons I was taught about music is that admiration for one's art is best kept confined to art. It's tempting to think that someone who created beautiful art is a great person. Oftentimes they're not. Back in high school, I was not just really passionate about music (which I still am), but I also had way more free time than I have now, so I did the whole teenage band thing. I got to meet a bunch of musicians from the local scene, some of them of modest international fame, at least within their genre. I quickly learned that many of the people that I genuinely admired were major assholes. And this assholery, I have found, crosses all kinds of borders. It spans every music genre, every kind of music education, every gender.
Theizestooke 8y ago
Can you recommend a recording for Bruckner's 8th?
- intuitionist 8y ago
  If you want Celibidache, he recorded the 8th with the Munich Philharmonic. My personal favorite (the opening to the fourth movement was my ringtone for some time) is Furtwängler with the Vienna Philharmonic.

bjoli 8y ago

The Swedish radio orchestra still has one of the best string sections I have ever heard, which is commonly attributed to a tradition started with Celebidache. Every time I play there I am always amazed by how well they play together and how they sound.

alxlaz 8y ago

One of the things I enjoy about his renditions is how much you can discover (and re-discover) about a piece. Dvorak's 9th symphony, for example, which lends itself a lot to personal interpretation, has a lot of variety in its renditions, but few are as haunting and expressive as Celibidache's. After I heard it for the first time, all the others seemed a little bland, even Karajan's. He was not the most conventional of conductors, but he certainly enriched the world of music through his activity. As for his personal views and his personal life... one of the first painful lessons I was taught about music is that admiration for one's art is best kept confined to art. It's tempting to think that someone who created beautiful art is a great person. Oftentimes they're not. Back in high school, I was not just really passionate about music (which I still am), but I also had way more free time than I have now, so I did the whole teenage band thing. I got to meet a bunch of musicians from the local scene, some of them of modest international fame, at least within their genre. I quickly learned that many of the people that I genuinely admired were major assholes. And this assholery, I have found, crosses all kinds of borders. It spans every music genre, every kind of music education, every gender.

Theizestooke 8y ago

Can you recommend a recording for Bruckner's 8th?

intuitionist 8y ago
If you want Celibidache, he recorded the 8th with the Munich Philharmonic. My personal favorite (the opening to the fourth movement was my ringtone for some time) is Furtwängler with the Vienna Philharmonic.