Despite not having taken conducting classes, he was already appearing as conductor in his teens, making his debut in 1930 with the Bucharest Radio Symphony Orchestra in a concert which included The Rite of Spring[1] and his own composition Prelude and Fugue (Toccata).
Silvestri's success in this 1930 National Radio Orchestra of Romania concert persuaded him to follow conducting as a career.
He conducted at the Romanian National Opera from 1935 on, and, following the brief tenures of two caretakers, he also directed the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra for six years as successor to George Georgescu, in disgrace as a Nazi collaborator.
Among Silvestri's students were Sergiu Comissiona, Marius Constant, Anatol Vieru, Iosif Conta, Edgar Cosma.
[1] Silvestri made his debut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Khovanshchina in the Shostakovich version (in an English translation by Edward Downes) in June 1963.
[7] In Romania and Eastern Europe, before moving to the West, Silvestri made around 20 LPs, often of repertoire he did not subsequently re-record.
His recordings received a First Prize from the Académie Charles Cros (for Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No.9, "From the New World") and the Grand Prix du Disque (for George Enescu's Dixtuor for Winds).
[8] In addition to commercial recordings, the BBC Legends label has issued six CDs of radio performances from the 1960s with Silvestri conducting the Bournemouth orchestra.
Video and audio rarities with excerpts from Silvestri's concerts, rehearsals, live and studio recordings are featured in Anda Anastasescu Gritten's film series 'CONSTANTIN SILVESTRI: Avant-gardist, Master improviser, Homme passionné' (7 episodes: Prelude, Lead soldiers, The little shepherd, Fireworks, Pictures at an exhibition, Nocturne, Bacchanalia).
The set contains works broadcast by the BBC in the 1960s from Bournemouth and Bristol: Silvestri's own 'Three Pieces for Strings', Enescu's Symphony No.
The UK premières of the following works were given by pianist Anda Anastasescu in the Wigmore Hall, London; Piano Suite 'Children's Games' No.
1 was given by Raymond Carpenter (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Principal Clarinet) and Anda Anastasescu in the Purcell Room, South Bank Centre London, 15 December 1999.
1, 2, 3 are featured in Anastasescu's film series 'CONSTANTIN SILVESTRI: Avant-gardist, Master improviser, Homme passionné' (7 episodes: Prelude, Lead soldiers, The little shepherd, Fireworks, Pictures at an exhibition, Nocturne, Bacchanalia), dedicated to the 2021 George Enescu International Festival, Bucharest.