The Romanian conductor, musical theorist, and teacher Sergiu Celibidache spoke at least fifteen languages was noted for his prodigious intellect. I have started studying his life and work lately and have not been dissatisfied with the effort and hours invested.
Although I can certainly enjoy good theater, I really don’t care too much about movies – but when I saw publicity about a new movie about Celibidache, I quickly felt interested and shortly thereafter planned to buy it immediately upon its first availability.
Recently I started studying his works and personality with a different approach—that of trying to differentiate between a talented narcissist or a truly gifted craftsman who is also a decent human being. I think the reason that I decided to do this exercise in distinction was to determine whether or not he was worth the time and effort to study and – in a sense – “get to know.”
Another particular reason for this effort was because in one of his interviews, he is described as being “in a bad mood“ and perhaps irritable and so again I wanted to see if his personality was on either side of being sweet or sour.
I think the reason that I decided to do this exercise in distinction was to determine whether or not he was worth the time and effort to study and – in a sense – “get to know.”
If he is impatient with underperformers and clear in what he perceives as right and wrong, then we would naturally expect him to be described critically/negatively because that’s the only defense available to – as he says in the selfsame interview – people who are “bourgeois in their thinking.”
If you look for certain criteria that distinguish geniuses from psychopaths, then I think the answer becomes quite clear in the video included below as to whether or not he is a talented narcissist or a truly gifted craftsman who is also a decent human being. In one of my next/upcoming videos related to everything mentioned above, I’ll define those criteria and delineate that distinction with more clarity.
