Sergiu Celibidache Festival is not going to take place this month due to the lack of financing. The great Romanian conductor’s son blames the Romanian authorities for that, also forbidding them to use his father’s name from now on. “I decide to not organize the second edition of the festival, which was due now in October. The main cause is the Romanian state’s indifference when it comes to honoring the Romanian assets. That’s why, I’ve decided to stop begging to the State and put this event on hold”, Serge Celibidache told a press release quoted by the Romanian media.
“We have addressed all ministers, even the prime minister. It is obvious that Romanian culture is not a priority for the country and much less for the rulers (…) Culture ministers, Education minister whom we talked, Tourism ministers, the PM Office did not understand what Celibidache, Brancusi or Eliade represented for Romania and the Romanian people”, the conductor’s son argued. “The indifference, broken promises and the indecency of some politicians make me forbid that any Romanian institution use may father’s name and image anymore. I believe a cultural crime has been committed, as it was also the case of other personalities”, Serge Celibidache said.
Ex-Culture minister Kelemen Hunor told Agerpres that no one has been filed a financing request for the event this year. “No such request came to may hands”, Kelemen Hunor stated.
Famous Romanian conductor, composer and teacher was born in Roman, Neamt County in 1912 and died in 1996 in France. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache’s career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures as principal conductor for the Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and several European orchestras. Later in life, he taught at Mainz University in Germany and the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Celibidache frequently refused to release his performances on commercial recordings during his lifetime claiming that a listener could not obtain a “transcendental experience” outside of the concert hall. Many of the recordings of his performances were released posthumously. Nonetheless, he earned international acclaim for celebrated interpretations of classical music repertoire and was known for a spirited performance style informed by his study and experiences in Zen Buddhism.