Guess who’s playing Celibidache in the Hollywood movie

Guess who’s playing Celibidache in the Hollywood movie

News

norman lebrecht

September 10, 2022

Variety reports that the British actor Rupert Friend (Anatomy of a Scandal) has signed on to play the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache in a biopic of his life titled ‘The Yellow Tie’.

Friend will play the young Celi. John Malkovich will act the mature conductor.

The director and co-writer is Serge Ioan Celebidachi, the conductor’s son.

 

 

Comments

  • lamed says:

    John Malkovich is too John Malkovich to play anyone, with his particular diction, particular mannerisms, particular face.

  • Thomas M. says:

    It will be a 90 minute movie that plays for three hours, minimum. 😉 – And John Malkovich as the mature Celi? He will need a fat suit.

  • M2N2K says:

    Are the second and the last vowels in the last name of the conductor and his son really interchangeable or is this simply a case of another misspelling here?

  • Alan says:

    Hopefully the film isn’t as boring as the conductor’s interminable Bruckner performances.

  • BigSir says:

    length: 6 hrs 10 min

  • Henry williams says:

    I saw him live in 1963. He was amazing this was
    In jerusalem. The IPO sounded fantastic.

  • Herbie G says:

    I can’t understand why Celibidache is so highly regarded. I have never heard a single performance of his that I have found inspiring. I once dreamt that I was listening to him conducting Bruckner’s 9th and when I awoke, I was. I guess that his notorious endless rehearsals drained all the blood out of his players. As for his tempi, he makes late Bernstein look like Mo Farah.

    Three of his close contemporaries who come to mind, his compatriot Constantin Silvestri, Ferenc Fricsay and Rudolph Kempe left him nowhere in terms of memorable, gripping performances. I am sure that many others could be cited by the erudite SD followers.

    I cannot for the life of me see why they would want to make a film about him. He does have some dedicatees but has been largely forgotten. Despite a scandal or two, I doubt that his life is interesting enough to make the film a block-buster to rival ‘Shine’ or ‘The Pianist’.

  • Ari Bocian says:

    The question is: will we get to see John Malkovich scream “VIOLA!”?

  • George Lobley says:

    Really? This is big news

  • Renato says:

    I did not want to get into moods anymore. But this is just what the classic world does need. Who gave the money? I do know that Celi’s fans do push his status. I was at the concert with BPO in Berlin and did not understand the hype. I wont watch the movie….never watch an actor conductor.

  • Save the MET says:

    Besides a few stallwarts here who appreciate Celi, who at this point remembers Sergiu Celibidache? Who is financing this project?

  • Notnek202 says:

    Hollywood has lost its collective mind.

  • Robert Holmén says:

    It may be a movie but I doubt that’s a *Hollywood* movie.

  • Peter San Diego says:

    Conducting seems to be the occupation of the month in the film industry. This, too, shall pass…

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