Silvestri, Constantin |
| CONDUCTOR (ROMANIA) |
|
BORN 31 May 1913, Bucharest - DIED 23 Feb 1969, London GRAVE LOCATION Bournemouth, Dorset: St. Peter's Churchyard |
|
Constantin Silvestri was brought up by his mother after his father died from alcoholism. His stepfather died when he was sixteen years old. When he was ten years old he played the piano in public. He studied composition and piano at the conservatories of Târgu Mures and Bucharest. In 1930 he was successful as the conductor of the National Radio Orchestra and from 1935 onwads he conducted the Romanian National Opera. He also succeeded George Georgescu as the conductor of the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, but after he emigrated to the west Georgescu resumed this post. From 1948 to 1956 he taught at the conservatory in Bucharest. In 1959 he moved to Paris. In 1957 he had debuted in England with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1961 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. In 1962 he wanted to divorce his wife Viorica, who was still in Romania. She was allowed to travel to France to persude him to go home. Bur she was seriously ill and was admitted to a hospital in Switzerland in 1963. She died in 1967. In 1967 Silvestri became a British citizen. He suffered from cancer and conducted his last concert in Exeter on 29 Nov 1968. He died on 23 Feb 1969 and was buried at St Peter's Churchyard, Bournemouth. |
| Images |
 The grave of Constantin Silvestri at St. Peter's Churchyard, Bournemouth. Picture by Androom (18 Jun 2010) |
Sources • Constantin Silvestri - Wikipedia (EN) |
