Mark Mast, president of the Sergiu Celibidache Foundation and also the one who has been organising events meant to honor the maestro's personality, gives us more details about the festival:

July 30^th - The Artistic Director

This is the fourth festival. The first edition that had an worldwide impact, was held in Munich in 2002. We focused on the the life, art, teachings and the legacy of one of the most unique personalities of the twentieth century. Then there was the first Celibidache festival ever held in Romania, as Iasi is the maestro's hometown. We named the festival Celibidache home again, in order to show how he left his birth place in the 30s to go to Bucharest and then to leave for Germany in order to pursue a career as a composer, not as a conductor. All this journey is described in The Pocket Garden suite, performed for the first time in Iasi by the Moldova Philarmonic. We are very happy and proud that on the centenary of his birth, the first edition of the Celibidache Festival is held here in Bucharest.

The series of eight concerts follows the craftsmanship courses in May, the films, books and photo exhibitions. We are so pleased and honoured to have this event here.

June 30^th - The Conductor

The first concert took place on June 30th,with Cristian Mandeal conducting the National Youth Orchestra. They regaled the audience with a symbolic program, The Pocket Garden by Sergiu Celibidache, and in the second part, with a sublime and overwhelming version of the Symphony No 5 by Piotr Ilici Ceaikovski.

30^th June - The Maestro's Son

Here's a touching statement made by Serge Celibidache, the maestro's son:

It was very important for me to feel the Romanians' reaction, then see my father's composition brought to life by a Romanian orchestra. I heard that Cristian Mandeal is very good, but he is ten times better than I expected; it was an unique experience. And even though I'm used with different tempi when it comes to Ceaikovski, this concert shed particular sensations and a different kind of energy.

Day 2 - 1^st July, 2012

On Sunday, another event with Liviu Prunaru in the limelight.

It was on the Athenaeum stage that he first performed a very special version of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Ludwig van Beetoven, with such warmth, great tempi and distinct sensitivity:

It was unexpected, last moment, but very surprising and a great joy for me, as I love this concert. My theory is to release every sound and try to convey something with every note I play. If I do it too fast neither I, nor the audience will be able to hear it.

On July 1^st, the George Enescu Philarmonic conducted by Enrique Garcia Asensio will pay homage to Sergiu Celibidache by performing the piece Celibidachiana by Anton Garcia Abril.

The concert ends with Symphony No 2 in D Major by Brahms.