Conductor Sergiu Celibidache is one of the most mythical figures in music. He demanded some of the most detailed rehearsal periods in history, refining every detail of the scores he performed with enormous care. He always conducted from memory. And he only made a couple of studio recordings, believing that recordings represented 'the negation of music' according to the booklet accompanying this new DVD from Opus Arte.
In consequence, we have only the live recordings which he allowed to be made - in this case, two symphonies by Mozart and Schubert and an Overture by Cherubini, all deriving from black and white Italian television broadcasts from Turin. Celibidache died only eleven years ago, and many will still remember his concerts, but otherwise his legacy is based entirely on broadcasts such as these.
Born in Romania in 1912, Celibidache stowed away on a train to Bucharest at the age of fifteen in order to pursue his musical career, later going to study in Berlin with Heinz Tiessen. He wrote a thesis on Josquin Desprez, and also undertook degrees in mathematics and philosophy. He made his conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1945, replacing at short notice Leo Borchard, who was shot and killed at Checkpoint Charlie. Over the ensuing decades Celibidache conducted all the great European orchestras and performed a wide-ranging repertoire, the only surprising gap being his complete avoidance of Mahler's symphonies.
The performances of the two symphonies on this DVD are like chalk and cheese. The Mozart, hampered by pedantic tempi and an apparent lack of sensitivity to the style, is hugely disappointing; the Schubert allows one to understand why some people think Celibidache was a musical magician.
The more it went on, the more I shuddered through Mozart's Symphony No 39 in E flat, K.453. It is, of course, a remarkable piece of music, one of the composer's last three symphonies written within six weeks in 1788. To an extent, Celibidache captures something of the gravity of the sombre opening chords of the Adagio introduction, their harmonic instability undermining the tonic key and creating anxiety. But on the arrival of the bright Allegro, the approach becomes lumpen, the phrasing illogical, and the presence of random accents disturbing to the ear; the development suffers from an even greater loss of focus and by the end of the movement there is no momentum whatsoever. The one saving grace is the beauty of the clarinets' timbre: Mozart omitted oboes from this score, and the clarinets have plenty of melodic interest as a result.
A turgid rendition of the slow movement makes it equally painful to listen to, with the slurs requiring far crisper articulation. The third movement suffers from a very heavy approach - this is meant to be a minuet! - and despite the excellent flute lines, the plodding tempo weighs down the whole orchestra. Thank goodness that there is more vitality about the finale, with excellent rising chromatic passages, but the approach is still too heavy, and the throw-away ending is an abomination.
For me, one of the real problems of the DVD is Celibidache himself, who is a very odd presence on the platform. His alternately pompous and vacuous facial expressions reminded me of a Harry Enfield skit of a conductor, while on a more practical level his tendency to be behind the beat (rather than leading it) is probably responsible for the lack of momentum in the Mozart.
The performance of Schubert's Second Symphony is much more inspiring, however. Despite a continued ponderousness in a couple of places, the quality of the sound is beautiful. The transcendental opening chords, the mercurial Allegro, and the energetic violins all serve the music very well. The Flute and oboe duo in the second movement blend together delightfully, though more intensity from the basses is needed to alleviate the monotony of the repetitive structure of the work. The dark minor key of the third movement and the vibrant exuberance of the finale are also superb; in short, this performance is highly recommended.
Unfortunately, the bonus item - Cherubini's Overture to Il portatore d'acqua - suffers from all the same problems as the Mozart. Therefore, whether you buy this DVD will depend on the attraction of a brilliantly-played and conducted Schubert Second Symphony.