Early Celibidache, well worth getting
Robert Coulter | Delaware, USA | 06/13/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"At the end of World War II, the young Sergiu Celibidache was appointed principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, a post he would hold until 1952. The appointment of the young conductor -- still a student -- to such an esteemed post was based on his recent success in competition and his clean, anti-Nazi history. Something of an eccentric, he would go on to become famous largely due to his refusal to make studio recordings (after a few early experiences he found unsatisfying, mainly on philosophical grounds) and his incredibly slow tempos (which also stemmed from his philosophical views). Many of his concerts were broadcast and recorded, and these constitute almost all of his recording legacy.
However, all that was to come, for here, in this 10 cd box set, we get a vast range of performances under the baton of the young Celibidache. The performances are all with either the Berlin Philharmonic or the London Philharmonic, and date from between 1945 and 1950. A list of the pieces performed is given in the review by E.A. Getchell -- if you're specifically interested in which orchestra plays what, the London Philharmonic plays the Mozart #25, Dvorak's cello concerto with Fournier, and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and #5; all the remaining performances are with the Berlin Philharmonic. A few of these are studio (the Mozart #25, the Tchaikovsky #5 and Nutcracker, maybe one or two others -- its hard to tell in some cases), the remainder are live performances. The budget price is reflected in there being no accompanying note or booklet of any sort. (Though not under the same label, the release has an uncanny resemblance to the budget box sets #1 and #2 of Michelangeli radio broadcasts.)
In later years, Celibidache believed he was too hurried or rash in the years of his Berlin posting. There are some early signs of his later contemplative tempo style already emerging. For example, the 2nd movement of the Brahms 2nd is decidedly slower than most performances (and yet still not as slow as his later recordings with his Munich Philharmonic). In other cases, he is already using variance of tempo very effectively as an expressive tool, in the Tchaikovsky #5 for example, but his slower tempos are somewhat counter-balanced by his willingness to up the pace, so to speak, at appropriate (perhaps telling) moments. There is plenty of evidence of his passion and talent in these recordings.
Ok, so perhaps you don't get the "classical" Celibidache style, but what you do get still includes some good to great performances. For me, the standouts in this set include a distinctive Shostakovich 7th, the two Brahms symphonies receive good performances, and Gliere's Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra (a very strong performance by Erna Berger). The concertos are all good too, revealing Celibidache to be a quite sensitive collaborator. The rest are at the least reasonable.
Unsurprisingly, there are some sound issues in these 60 year old mono recordings: they are a little restricted in the main, but the transfers are very good overall and the sound does not detract from the listening experience overly. The Dvorak cello concerto with Fournier has some reverberation which detracts from an otherwise good live performance (though I wouldn't put it in the same league as the outstanding Rostropovich/Talich studio recording, which is of a similar vintage). The Tchaikovsky 2nd and Busoni violin concerto suffer the same problem, though not quite as markedly. Strangely, the issue gives both the cello in the Dvorak and the violin in the Busoni a bigger presence. There is some crowd noise in a few recordings -- coughs and alike -- but it is pretty minimal for live recordings. Perhaps the biggest issues are with the technical glitches -- the Shostakovich #7 fairs the worst, with three or four jumps and/or clicks dispersed throughout. These and other such issues most probably derive from damage to the original sources, rather than the transfer processes. This entire box was released previously in different packaging, see here, while a reasonable portion of this 4 cd box release (though not all of it) is also in this set. I suspect the transfers are precisely the same in all cases, but with absolutely no documentation included, I cannot be sure.
So here we have 10 cds of a young Celibidache to savour at a remarkably low price; reasonable to excellent performances in generally good, though somewhat dated sound (as expected). A good value release, definitely well worth acquiring."
Sublime!
E. A. Getchell | Palma Sola, Florida | 04/24/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have only recently discovered the great Romanian conductor, Sergiu Celibidache ( June 28, 1912-August 14, 1996 ) when I saw a video clip of one of his performances of Beethoven's Egmont Overture in Berlin right after WWII. I was stunned by what I saw and had to know more about this mesmerising conductor. I didn't even realize that I already have him on a favorite recording, Jacqueline du Pré plays Dvorák & Saint-Saëns with Celibidache conducting the Dvorak cello concerto. This particular piece is a deeply emotional experience for me and I realized that it was Celibidache who was able to match Jacqueline's passionate emotion with his equally passionate direction of the orchestra, blending emotion and art to create a sublime listening experience. What I found out about Celibidache did not surprise me and really explained my immediate reaction to him ~ that he was greatly influenced by Zen Buddhism, "creating the optimal conditions for what he called 'transcendent experience'... providing audiences with exceptional and sometimes life-altering experiences." No wonder Celibidache had cast such a spell on me!
I eagerly searched for more of his recordings to add to my classical music collection and by a great stroke of luck I stumbled upon this wonderful 10 CD bargain collection of his earlier works Sergiu Celibidache. What an extraordinary value!
Here is what is included in the box:
Sergiu Celibidache conducting the London Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic between 1945 and 1950
CD 1
MOZART Symphony No. 25 in G minor
HAYDN Symphony No. 94 in G major and Symphony No. 104 in D major
CD2
BEETHOVEN Overture Leonore III in C major
BERLIOZ Overture Le Corsaire op.2
MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY Symphony No. 4 in A major Italian
CD3
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D major and Symphony No 4 in E minor
CD4
BRAHMS Symphony No.4 Conclusion
DVORAK Cello Concerto in B minor with Pierre Fournier cello
CD5
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 2 in C minor and Nutcracker Ballet Suite Excerpts
CD6
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E minor and Fantasy Overture for orchestra in B minor Romeo and Juliet
CD7
DEBUSSY La Mer and Jeux Dance Poem
BUSONI Violen Concerto in D majoy with Siegfried Barries violin
CD8
HINDEMITH Piano Concerto with Gerhard Puchelt piano
BRITTEN Sinfonia da Requiem
GLIERE Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra with Erna Berger soprano
CD9
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7 in C major
CD10
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E flat major
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 1 in D major
STRAVINSKY Jeu de cartes Ballet in three deals for orchestra
Needless to say, I adore this CD collection. I am not a musicologist or expert in any way. I am not qualified to criticise classical music and opera; I only know what I love and I love Celibidache. I just listen and let him take over. Classical music and opera speak to my heart and Celibidache's music reaches my very soul. It is like medicine for me, very moving and even mystical. I cannot help but highly recommend Sergiu Celibidache to other classical music lovers. 5 stars indeed for this high quality bargain box of magic."
