“What the world needs now is another cat video. Seriously,” writes Tom Huizenga on Wednesday (1/10) at National Public Radio. “The combination of cats and the music of Nicolo Paganini was just an idea purring in the head of violinist Augustin Hadelich until he met director Paul Glickman and animator Tam King…. Together they’ve come up with Fantasia Dei Gatti (Fantasy of the Cats), a delightful animated short film that owes a debt to the Disney classic Fantasia. The film stars Hadelich … and one persistent, music-loving kitty.… Hadelich has just finished a recital, and as he exits the rear of the concert hall the plucky feline convinces him to play a few encores. In a back alley, he begins his serenade. Neighborhood cats of all stripes prick up their ears to the strains of Paganini’s Caprice No. 17…. Soon a full-blown cat ballet ensues. After a few fanciful ‘paws’ de deux, Hadelich packs up his fiddle to leave. But as he saunters down the alley, the cats notice something very special about their fiddling friend…. ‘I grew up in Italy with this music,’ Hadelich says. ‘I always thought the descending figures in the Caprice No. 17 sound like meows.’ ”
Posted January 12, 2018
