You have probably spotted that I am a huge devotee of this great conductor (1912-96). He has his detractors but even those ‘against’ him admire his way with Bruckner, so here is the Fourth Symphony, from Munich in 1983. It lasts nearly eighty minutes (and I am aware of a later Celi account of this work that is about eighty-four). But these are mere statistics, for music-making “has nothing to do with the clock on the wall” (Daniel Barenboim). Click below for Celi’s every-second-counts Bruckner 4 (BTW, it’s the Haas edition).
Sergiu Celibidache conducts Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony, Munich 1983.
The grandiloquence of the architecture was never in doubt with Celi, but it’s often the details which rivet. Nobody does the string ostinato at the start of the final coda in as mesmerising fashion as this conductor (with chilling trumpet and oboe intensifying the moments). I have listened to dozens of other versions hoping for a similar effect, but in this Celi is unique.
In the opening paragraph of the preface to the revised 1992 edition of his book The Essence of Bruckner, Robert Simpson famously singled out Celibidache’s “revelatory performance” of the Fourth Symphony, noting that his “tempi illuminated the piece for me as never before”. Later in the book he noted how Celibidache “has magnificently shown that the whole of [the] finale is really an adagio … [We have got] used to hearing this music at twice its proper tempo!” Curiously/oddly, he doesn’t specify when or where this performance was: the Bruckner Archive Recordings Database lists a variety of recordings/recorded occasions pre-1991 https://www.abruckner.com/brucknerarchive/brucknerdatabase/. Celibidache’s 1983 reading is a classic example of forgetting pre-conceptions, going along with his vision, and emerging a more enlightened person at the other end.
I think the 84 minute version referrred to would be the performance given in Vienna in February 1989. It is an equally magnificent reading and Celibidache interprets the music in exactly the same way – the four minute difference is of no significance. In fact provided a conductor is consistent in the speeds that are set, most choices of basic tempo in Bruckner are usually acceptable. Take Klemperer in his famous Vox recording for example. His fifty one and a half minute reading makes entire sense in the context of his interpretation. Some conductors make tiresome slowings at traditional places unjustified by the score – Celibidache has none of that (cynics might say that the only slower tempo he could have adopted would have been ‘stop’). Having not read the revised edition of Robert Simpson’s ‘The Essence of Bruckner’ (see Ates Orga above) I had only recalled the author’s general reservations about he Finale and have often found it sounding disjointed, but Celibidache allays those doubts. Yes I agree – he is indeed a great conductor of Bruckner
I have never heard of Sergiu Celibidache, but realise I have really missed something. I LOVED the whole performance, and also was intrigued by the filming which showed his expressions. Normally this view is only available to us musicians, and I so appreciated it and felt I was right there in the orchestra too.
I found this interesting interview with him and hope you find it interesting too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP8zkkUoIO8
I had noticed how few women there were in the orchestra, and now find that he was in trouble about that, and particularly about the female trombone player who won the position of principal trombone in a blind audition, but he refused to allow her to be first, nor to play any solos.
A fascinating musician, a great conductor, and an extraordinary man. Thank you for sharing.