Sergiu Celibidache Conducts the Symphonie Fantastique
HECTOR BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 Munich Philharmonic Orchestra SERGIU CELIBIDACHE, conductor Recorded at the Munich Summer Festival on 28 June 1986
Continuing with our little survey of condcutor's valedictory performances of the Symphonie Fantastique here is a concert which I have not seen elsewhere.
Celibidache did not conduct the Berlioz Op. 14 very often. He conducted it in Italy and at the 20th Anniversary Concert of the Israel Philharmonic in 1956. He gave the work in Torino in April, 1968 and a again in 1969 with one of the October 1969 concerts now available on DVD. He also performed it with the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony in 1970-71 and then he did not conduct the work again until this concert in 1986 and never again after that.
There is a remarkable consistency in Celibidache's overall conception of the work from 1968 to 1986 with there only being, at most, a minute difference in the timing of any given movement. Without a doubt, this Munich performance SOUNDS slower. I remembered the Danish performance in particular as being much faster but, upon checking while preparing this post, it was only a few ticks of the metronome away. I think perhaps the difference was in the way Celibidache could voice an orchestra to suit the specific acoustics of a hall which would change they way a listener would perceive the notes, and all the information they contain, rather than in the actual tempi he took.
Whatever the case may be, few will find this to be the most viscerally exciting of Fantastiques. However, IMHO, dear readers, it is one of the most musical performances of the piece you will hear. The shaping of the phrases, the wonderful bass pizzicati in the first movement with their beautiful dynamic shading, the timeless almost Zen-like other-worldliness of the Scéne aux Champs are most impressive and make this absolutely one of my favorite readings of one of my favorite pieces of music.
As I said in the Stokowski version posted earlier - Stokowski's very individual approach to the score was probably something Berlioz could have imagined. I seriously doubt the composer ever imagined the work sounding as beautiful as it does here under the direction of Sergiu Celibidache.
Continuing with our little survey of condcutor's valedictory performances of the Symphonie Fantastique here is a concert which I have not seen elsewhere.
Celibidache did not conduct the Berlioz Op. 14 very often. He conducted it in Italy and at the 20th Anniversary Concert of the Israel Philharmonic in 1956. He gave the work in Torino in April, 1968 and a again in 1969 with one of the October 1969 concerts now available on DVD. He also performed it with the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony in 1970-71 and then he did not conduct the work again until this concert in 1986 and never again after that.
There is a remarkable consistency in Celibidache's overall conception of the work from 1968 to 1986 with there only being, at most, a minute difference in the timing of any given movement. Without a doubt, this Munich performance SOUNDS slower. I remembered the Danish performance in particular as being much faster but, upon checking while preparing this post, it was only a few ticks of the metronome away. I think perhaps the difference was in the way Celibidache could voice an orchestra to suit the specific acoustics of a hall which would change they way a listener would perceive the notes, and all the information they contain, rather than in the actual tempi he took.
Whatever the case may be, few will find this to be the most viscerally exciting of Fantastiques. However, IMHO, dear readers, it is one of the most musical performances of the piece you will hear. The shaping of the phrases, the wonderful bass pizzicati in the first movement with their beautiful dynamic shading, the timeless almost Zen-like other-worldliness of the Scéne aux Champs are most impressive and make this absolutely one of my favorite readings of one of my favorite pieces of music.
As I said in the Stokowski version posted earlier - Stokowski's very individual approach to the score was probably something Berlioz could have imagined. I seriously doubt the composer ever imagined the work sounding as beautiful as it does here under the direction of Sergiu Celibidache.
The Gnome, being my own personal Jiminy Crickett, insists on full disclosure. This was not actually the last time Celibidache conducted the Fantastique. There was a second performance on 30 June. I doubt anyone will want to quibble.
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