Veteran actor and academy award nominee John Malkovich will be putting on the shoes of revered classical music conductor Sergiu Celibidache for an upcoming biographical film titled The Yellow Tie.
The international co-production headed by Oblique Media Film and Celi films, is directed and written by Celibidache’s son, Serge Ioan Celibidachi. This biopic will chronicle the life and career of one of the most controversial and out-of-the-box conductors who have ever lived.
Considered by the musical world to be both a genius as well as a madman, Sergiu Celibidache was born in Romania in 1912. As a teenager his family banished him from home after revealing his desire to pursue a musical career. He first studied Philosophy and Mathematics at the University of Bucharest before, in 1936, going to Berlin and eventually winning a competition to become the youngest conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1948, Celibidache would have his premiere in London and would go on to have an immensely eventful career and become one of the most relevant conductors of the last century. His fame was also due to the fact that he was uncompromising in regards to allowing the release of recordings of his music. His outright refusal stemmed from the fact that Celibidache believed that it would not have the same effect outside of a concert hall.
While there still hasn’t been a definitive cast for a younger version of the conductor, Malkovich will be playing Celibidache at the top of his game and in his most prolific years. Himself a music lover, the actor has expressed his delight in being able to take on this role:
“I am thrilled and honored to be given the opportunity to play the conductor Sergiu Celibidache. A unique and singular talent, he is considered to be one of the great classical music visionaries of the last century. Playing him in his later years will be a challenging and fascinating journey.”
The Yellow Tie will be shot in Romania in the Spring and Summer of next year.