SERGIU CELIBIDACHE (1912-1996)

Born in Romania in 1912, Celibidache was undoubtedly one of the few legendary conductors of the last century. After beginning his studies in mathematics, he enrolled at the Berlin Academy where he studied composition, conducting and musicology. From 1945 to 1952 he was Principal Director of the Berlin Philharmonic, developing an intense and important collaboration with Wilhelm Furtwiingler. He conducted several other orchestras in the following years, including the Stuttgart and Stockholm radio orchestras. From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s he also worked with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, leaving his mark on the development of that orchestra. From 1979 onwards he was Music Director, with an exclusive agreement, of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. His didactic activity is also very important, especially that carried out at the University of Mainz, where he lectured on the phenomenology of music: Celibidache has always emphasised how teaching is one of the most important forms of human activity. In addition, since his Berlin years, the Master has developed a great interest in Eastern philosophies, especially Zen Buddhism, following the teachings of Martin Steinke. He was a student of Sai Baba and was interested in the links between language, thought and reality, being part of the ‘New Gnostics’. He died in La Neuville-sur-Essone, France, in 1996.