Programme 1 Sergiu Celibidache Experience, not historical accuracy, was the maxim of conductor Sergui Celibidache. I'm Kathleen Lawton. As our century draws to a close, it's a good time to take a look at the performers who have moved listeners and set standards in modern times. It is the performer, after all, who brings the composer's score to life.
Performers exist where there is no music.
During his lifetime, he steadfastly refused to have his work issued on records, but after his death in 1996 his widow and son decided to release as CDs all previously unissued material recorded during concerts and rehearsals. Since Celibidache always regarded each concert even each rehearsal as unique, it s probably unfair to view these recordings, all captured more or less incidentally, as Celibidache s authentic interpretation of the respective works. On the other hand, these CDs are virtually the only record we have of his life s work and we re enormously lucky that they have been preserved for posterity. Thanks to them, we now have a more thorough understanding of the maestro s mentality and attitude towards music. The first movement of the Symphony in G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Sergiu Celibidache conducting the Munich Philharmonic.