News - Cello

See the cello in, literally, a whole new light with the BBC Proms inspired short film Cello...

Multi award-winning artists 59 Productions, the team behind the video design of the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games, have joined forces with the BBC Proms and internationally acclaimed cellist Sol Gabetta, to create a brand new short film, Cello, to celebrate the 2016 BBC Proms season.

The film offers a tantalising taster ahead of the First Night of the BBC Proms next Friday 15th July, when Sol Gabetta will make her highly-anticipated debut performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor.

Elgar's Cello Concerto was his last major work and is a national treasure. It only became widely popular in the 1960s when a performance by Jacqueline du Pré caught the public imagination and became one of the best-selling classical recordings of all time.

Recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House, Cello features Sol Gabetta performing the opening of the concerto as her cello is transformed by a series of bespoke animations created by 59 Productions that respond to and evolve with Elgar’s richly sonorous score.

David Pickard, Director of BBC Proms, said, “It is exciting for us to approach music from a different angle - adding a visual element which is not only striking in itself, but which also enhances the aural experience. I hope that lovers of both film and music will be intrigued and inspired by what has been created."

Watch the short film itself then see below for how they did it.

World-renowned for creating spectacular public artwork, projection mapping some of the world’s most iconic buildings - from the Sydney Opera House to Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and the United Nations Headquarters in New York - Sol Gabetta's cello is the smallest object 59 Productions has ever projection mapped, made more complex by the instrument’s subtle motion. Using cutting-edge techniques, including infra-red cameras which track where the cello is in 3D space, the projections seamlessly adhere to the surface of the cello to stunning visual effect.

Richard Slaney, Creative Director of 59 Productions said “We wanted to show the diversity and the range of the cello, and we thought it would be fun to show that in a really visual way, so we decided to projection map Sol’s cello and use it as a visual storytelling device to accompany the music.”

Image and videos - BBC