"All the reviews used are real," begins this fabulous, hilarious concert with an acerbic John Malkovich, created for the Julian Rachlin and Friends Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia: a cheeky look at some works from the last few centuries that are now known as masterpieces, but received some scathing critiques when they were first performed!
Violinist, conductor, and comedian Aleksey Igudesman has assembled a program of pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, and other great composers—interpreted here by top-notch performers like violist Alexandre Bailly and his longtime collaborator Hyung-ki Joo at the piano—with Malkovich relishing his role as the diabolical, never-satisfied critic through the ages. The performers defend themselves and their music, playing with lyricism and virtuosity, but the critic cannot be mollified. The antics all lead up to "The Malkovich Torment," which spotlights a particularly horrifying review that Malkovich himself received…