Conductor Sergiu Celibidache's Life Featured in Upcoming Film

Academy Award-nominated actor John Malkovich will play the Romanian conductor in a biopic titled "The Yellow Tie"

To be directed by Sergiu Celibidache’s son Serge Ioan Celebidachi, “The Yellow Tie” is based on a screenplay written by Celebidachi and James Olivier.

The film will portray the life of Celibidache as one of the most controversial conductors in the world. He was considered a genius, but also someone who went outside the conventional lines of the classical music world. 

After revealing as a teenager that he wanted to pursue a career in classical music, Celibidache was not wanted in his family home. After periods of homelessness, he eventually won a competition that led to his becoming the youngest ever conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Celibidache also directed the Munich Philharmonic and Sicilian Symphony Orchestra and left several well-known recordings of music by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Schumann, JS Bach, and Fauré.

Famously known for refusing to release recordings of his music because he believed they would not have the same effect outside of a concert hall, he is now considered one of the greatest conductors of the twentieth century. 

John Malkovich (Image courtesy: Variety)

While Malkovich will be playing Celibidache in his later years, casting — overseen by Des Hamilton — continues in the search for a younger version of the musician. Filming will begin in Romania in 2022.

“I am thrilled and honored to be given the opportunity to play the conductor Sergiu Celibidache,” said Malkovich. “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.”

To be produced by Adela Vrinceanu Celebidachi, Cristina Dobritoiu, Titi Radoaie, and James Olivier, “The Yellow Tie” is an international co-production between Romania’s Oblique Media Film and the UK’s Celi Films.