Augustin Hadelich may not have an instantly recognizable name, but for fans of classical music, he’s a world renowned (and Grammy-winning) violinist. And it seems that Hadelich’s interests include animation as well as music. Earlier this month, Hadelich debuted Fantasia dei Gatti, an animated short in which he finds himself giving an impromptu concert for some musically inclined cats. Before long, the cats are so entranced by Hadelich’s performance of Nicolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 17 that they engage in some very un-cat-like behavior.
We came across this gem at Laughing Squid, and it reminds us of Disney’s Fantasia. The style chosen by animator Tam King perfectly captures some of the surreal moments of the cats’ fondness for human behavior. Hadelich appears in the short as a fictionalized version of himself that instantly recognizes an alley cat’s desire for sustenance of the soul, as opposed to sustenance for the body. Most cats in the real world would have eagerly accepted food.
As the cats take on more human-like properties, Hadelich appears to be getting in touch with his feline side. The conclusion of the short broadly suggests that Hadelich might be a little bit cat himself, because he’s certainly not an ordinary man in this world. And as soon as Hadelich finished his performance, his spell was broken and the cats went back to acting like cats. It’s a charming fable, and we’d eagerly watch more shorts like this.
What did you think about this animated short? Play a song for us in the comment section below!
Images:Â Augustin Hadelich
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