When 3D animation meets opera – fantastic video

According to origo.hu, mezzo-soprano opera singer Mónika Kertész’s and video clip director Dezső Gyarmati’s fantastic video came to life from the marriage of classical music and digital solutions. The famous Dido’s Lament aria in the video is dramatized with 3D statues.

Dido’s Lament aria is from Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas opera. This is performed by Mónika Kertész with the Accord Quartet. Her beautiful voice is complemented by a unique visual world designed by the senior of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, Dezső Gyarmati.

Mónika Kertész has sung as a soloist in Müpa, the Great Hall of the Academy of Music and even in the Budapest Music Centre. Two years ago she performed in the National Theatre of Szeged’s Cinderella, while she spent the last season with the Hungarian Radio’s Symphonic Band. The singer told origo.hu some background information about the fantastic video.

How did it all start?

It’s been a dream of mine to create something like this for a long time. My main goal was to bring classical music closer to young people and to those who are not familiar with the world of operas. I thought that modern cinematics and classical music could be a good pairing. I wanted to achieve this in a way that both genres enhanced each other. I wanted a small movie which builds on the storyline instead of the aria. At first I thought about having actors in the video but due to the deadline and the financial limits, animation seemed to be the best choice.

How did the creating process go?

We talked a lot from the beginning, to find the best execution. For instance, it was Dezső’s idea to visualise the characters as statues. The final result is basically the paraphrase of a statue. The video goes around in a statue hall. Everything else that is moving symbolises the feelings of the two main characters, Dido and Aeneas. The ill-wisher witches and doubt is symbolised by an interestingly rippling globe. These feelings lead to the suicide of the main character.

How come you chose this aria?

I made a list of arias I would be glad to sing and then we chose this one together. We talked about everything with Dezső, but naturally, I didn’t chop in the technical details. We chose the aria together because we both wanted to be inspired by the music. I definitely wanted to choose a dramatic song but we also wanted a song with which we can tell the story of the whole opera. This is why Dido and Aeneas was a great choice.

Furthermore, it’s a love story, which is always a hot topic…

Yes, Dezső was very attracted by the harrowing story. What’s good about love stories is that they are ageless, always relevant and easily adapted into the modern world. There’s a very strong moment in this opera, the suicide scene, and I wanted to find its symbolism regarding our lives. This is the intention to change and to quit the situation, when feeling cornered. It’s not about not wanting to live anymore, it’s about not wanting to live in a certain way. So we don’t have to end our lives, only the hardships. For me this symbolises the opportunity of changing direction, which makes way for our self-fulfillment.

Have you ever sung this aria on stage?

I haven’t sung the whole role, only the aria, which I adore. This might seem like a very easy aria at first, but it has a very deep meaning. You have to keep the simplicity it suggests, while finding the balance between the profound feelings of every repeated word or sentence and the anticipated resignation.

Henry Purcell – Dido & Aeneas from Le Troger Studio on Vimeo.

Photo: www.facebook.com/MonikaKertesz

Copy editor: bm

Source: http://www.origo.hu/