Sergiu Celibidache & the Munich Philharmonic - Warsaw, Nat'l Philharmonic Concert Hall, 09 02 1986

This is a rarity in that it's the only record of the Zen Maestro's only visit to Poland.

Celibidache actually played two concerts on his sojourn to Poland. The first was on Saturday, 8 February, when he played Bruckner's 5th Symphony.

At his second, Sunday morning performance, he played Brahms' 2nd Symphony and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Polish Radio was given a tough choice - they were allowed to record only ONE of these performances.

It seems to me they chose well. Even though Celi is one of the master Brucknerians, in terms of the material the second concert was better in showcasing the orchestra's mastery of tonal colour control and, let's face it, the music is a lot more varied.

So there you have it - classic Celi, with the expaaaaaaansive tempos and superior overview of the work as a whole.