John Malkovich brings ‘Music Critic’ to S.A.
One of the things that sold actor John Malkovich on “The Music Critic,” a live show that revolves around savage classical music reviews, was a similar critique of his own work.
“He loved the idea of ‘The Music Critic’ from the very, very start,” said show creator and co-star Aleksey Igudesman. “What really got him involved was when I found a terrible critique about something he did himself in Istanbul. He always likes to say when he first read it, he fell off the sofa laughing at home, because he thought it was just so well-written and funny.”
Malkovich teamed up with Igudesman and other musicians for a single performance of the show as part of a classical music festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia, several years ago. They later toured it a bit in Europe, and now, they are staging it across the United States.
They will bring it to the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday.
In the piece, Malkovich plays an acid-tongued critic who dismisses the works of such classical music superstars as Beethoven (“bizarre”), Chopin (“excruciating cacophony”) and Chopin (“torturous”). The critic’s words are woven into performances of the pieces that he destroys verbally.
“There is no review that was made up,” said Igudesman, who is a violinist who plays in the show. “It’s all real reviews that we use, which has a special magic of its own.”
A recording of the show will be released by Euroarts/warner Music on Oct. 27.
It’s a funny premise, but there’s an important take-away for creatives, Igudesman said.
“If Beethoven can be criticized that harshly, if some of the greatest greats can be ripped apart, let’s all stop being snowflakes and embrace and laugh with the negative criticism,” he said. “Let’s actually be proud that we receive feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, because it actually means we are seen, we are heard.”
Malkovich echoed that sentiment.
“It’s a good thing to know that not everything you put out is going to be appreciated,” he said. “But that is part of the price one pays for doing what one likes.”
The two-time Oscar nominee does not read his own reviews, he said.
“I’m not a huge subject of interest for myself and my work,” he said. “I have to decide whether something is good or bad or worthy or unworthy or needs to be improved or is fine or is even good or will never be good. Those are all things I have experienced and those are all eventualities I’ve lived. And so somebody else saying ‘XYZ’ doesn’t really matter to me very much.”
Malkovich, whose indelible work on the silver screen includes the vicious Vicomte de Valmont in “Dangerous Liaisons” and an assassin in “In the Line of Fire,” has spent a fair amount of time in recent years working on live performances powered by classical music. The works include “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer,” an opera about Austrian murderer Jack Unterweger, and “Just Call Me God,” a music theater piece in which he plays a dictator at the end of his life.
“I do a lot of touring in different pieces and, of course, listen to a lot of classical music as well,” the Oscar nominee said. “That was a big change in my life when I really started working with and listening to classical music. I have done a number of collaborations, not only with Aleksey but with other colleagues in this world, and hope to continue doing so.
“I love the music, the power of the music, and there’s so much beautiful classical music, such incredible compositions.”
There are a few different arrangements of “The Music Critic.” The U.S. tour includes a chamber ensemble. There also is a symphonic version. They will be doing that in Luxembourg after this tour, Malkovich said.
“We hope to bring that to Texas one fine day,” Igudesman said.