This is best news I had all weekend?
That John Malkovich will star in a film about the eccentric Romanian maestro Sergiu Celibidache. Celibidache, one-time conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, gained notoriety for his uncompromising pursuit of “the transcendent moment,” his exhaustive rehearsals, and his refusal to record.
Of course, the market is flooded with Celibidache recordings, many of them from his years in Munich, but these are all byproducts of actual live concerts. Few of them could be described as pedestrian.
Equally, few would be described as “definitive.” When Celibidache was “on,” he could be like nobody else; but when he was “off” – again, he could be like nobody else.
The film, titled “The Yellow Tie,” is scripted by Celi’s son. Shooting will begin in Romania early next year.
The venture is the latest in a spate of movies about conductors. In the past week or two, it was announced that Cate Blanchett will play (the fictional) Lydia Tár, the first woman to conduct a major German orchestra. The Dresden Philharmonic will participate in the film, in which Blanchett will be seen conducting Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. The project is titled “TÁR.” Academy Award winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”) will provide the film’s underscore.
https://theviolinchannel.com/cate-blanchett-plays-orchestra-music-director-in-upcoming-film/
And of course Bradley Cooper is headlining a Leonard Bernstein biopic, “Maestro,” initiated by Martin Scorsese, and co-produced by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” is due for release in theaters in December. It looks like “Maestro” quashed a rival Bernstein project, titled “The American,” that was to have starred Jake Gyllenhall, when the Bernstein estate opted to license Lenny’s music to Cooper, Scorsese, and Spielberg. Who could have seen that coming?
Movies about classical music and musicians are notoriously weak. I’m not holding my breath, but I am hoping at least one of these gets it right.
Celibidache has a fever, and the only prescription is more viola!
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