DVD0477. SERGIU CELIBIDACHE Cond. RAI S.O., Torino: Symphony #5 in B-flat (Prokofiev); Tod und Verklärung (Strauss). (UK) Opus Arte OA 0979 D, filmed 1970. Final copy! - 809478009795

CRITIC REVIEWS:

“Celibidache was known for many things: slow tempos, unusual demands for rehearsal time, a distaste for recording, and a deep belief in the transcendent power of music....We see a conductor absolutely meticulous about rhythm and dynamics, someone who stops the orchestra after a bar or two for the slightest of reasons. It seems curious that a musician concerned with the overall transcendent experience should concentrate so heavily on perfection of detail, but there is no doubt that a certain genius inhabited this man.”

- Paul L. Althouse, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Jan./Feb., 2012

“All in all, like most of the ‘mad genius’ conductors (Stokowski, for example), Celibidache's work ranges erratically from the stunning to the grotesque. But at his best - in Brahms, and especially Bruckner--he's very special indeed.”

-David Hurwitz, Classicstoday.com