In “The Yellow Tie,” a biopic about the Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache whose premiere I attended in London on Wednesday, things start badly and get steadily worse. We begin with old Celi (John Malkovich) discussing a future engagement with a group of Japanese record executives over lunch at his French estate. To his dismay, they have included a clause agreeing to the commercial release of his recordings. “The economics of our business is changing,” one offers. Celi erupts: “People like you are killing classical music!” he exclaims, as his life partner Ioana (Miranda Richardson) looks on sheepishly. The execs are chased out of the estate by Celi’s dogs.
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