NEW CD: ‘Constantin Silvestri – A Bournemouth Love Affair’

New independent record company Romanian Musical Adventure (RMA – brainchild of Romanian-born concert pianist, Anda Anastasescu) has released a double CD set of digitally re-mastered, unique BBC recordings of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of legendary Romanian conductor and composer Constantin Silvestri, to commemorate his death in London in 1969. The double CD contains major works by George Enescu (Symphony No. 1 and Orchestral Suites Nos. 1 and 2) conducted by Silvestri with the Bournemouth Symphony and a unique gem, Silvestri conducting his own work, ‘Three Pieces for Strings’. The discs also contain ‘The Magic Flute’ Overture and Symphony No. 29 by Mozart, ‘Slavonic Dances’ by Dvorak and Symphony No. 1 by Prokofiev.
Constantin Silvestri was Principal Conductor of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Radio Symphony Orchestra and of the Romanian National Opera. He left Romania in 1958 and in 1961 became Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. During the following eight years the orchestra won its fame and Silvestri’s reputation (he has been compared to Von Karajan and Barbirolli) was approaching its peak when he died from cancer in 1969 aged just 55.