One of the most prestigious venues in the world, the Vienna Konzerthaus, togs its main stage up into a legendary Viennese Coffee House setting, representing a tradition where poets, writers, critics and common people often gather to complain.  Sipping his coffee with an apfelstrudel on the side, John Malkovich slips into the role of the evil critic. Equipped with a frivolous potpourri of musical insults, he believes the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Prokofiev and the likes to be weary and dreary.
 
Schumann fancies himself a “composer”, while Brahms is a “giftless bastard”. Claude Debussy is simply ugly. A sardonic mix of the most evil music critiques of the last centuries written about some of the greatest works of music are presented in The Music Critic.

The CD recreates the character of the live show The Music Critic, with the funniest quotes from music critics of the last centuries, delivered by John Malkovich and created by Aleksey Igudesman.

Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvořák, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Kancheli, Piazzolla and Igudesman.