Savonarola
Animated Scenes in Jukka Linkola's Opera Abraham's Feast
3D Animation Sequences
Project Overview
When we brought Jukka Linkola‘s opera Abraham’s Feast (Abrahamin pidot) to the Helsinki Music Centre Concert Hall in 2018, transporting larger props from Liminka proved impractical. One such prop was a towering foam statue of monk Savonarola, a key element in two pivotal scenes.
To address this, I suggested to producer Helena Tornberg that we replace the statue with a 3D animation sequence, leveraging the Concert Hall’s enormous projection screen.
Services Involved
Jukka Linkola
Composer
In 2017, a new Finnish opera, Abraham’s Feast, premiered in Liminka. I am the composer of the opera and closely followed the entire event and its preparation period. In 2018, the production was brought to the Helsinki Music Centre, where it was performed twice. A significant change in the production was the transition from a beautiful outdoor theater to a dark indoor venue. This required major and inventive efforts in terms of visualization. In particular, the use of video as a set element in Helsinki was something entirely new.
Eero Karvonen played an exceptionally diverse role in these performances: as an event producer, graphic designer, video creator and editor, as well as the developer of the orchestral backing track used in rehearsals.
This virtual orchestra production was built by Eero from the composition’s Sibelius files. He mixed and designed the backing track, carefully selecting high-quality samples for each instrument. The resulting orchestration sounded remarkably rich and colorful. This was an immense help in staging the work, especially in rehearsing Jouni Prittinen’s impressive choreography. Practicing a dance choreography with only piano accompaniment is not particularly rewarding, and since there was no orchestral recording of the premiere production, having a well-crafted orchestral track was crucial for structuring the stage movement and its proper rhythm.
Eero’s versatile expertise and comprehensive understanding of a newly rehearsed production benefited all participants throughout the entire working process. His approach is calm, cooperative, and constructive, which greatly facilitated adapting the production – originally designed for the cultural park in Liminka – to a completely different venue, the massive Helsinki Music Centre.
Karvonen’s talent encompasses professional ingenuity and an exceptionally broad artistic sensibility. These were essential factors in the success of both performances of my opera. His contribution as a single individual was invaluable!
I wholeheartedly recommend Eero Karvonen’s work in all its aspects.
Helena Tornberg
Author & Director
Creative Entrepreneur
Eero approaches challenges with enthusiasm and dedication. He understands collaboration as a whole while also creatively solving unexpected details.
My Role & Contributions
In the scene, the opera’s protagonist, Abraham Ojanperä, endures a numinous nightmare in which anti-art friar Girolamo Savonarola haunts him, driving him to terror. To bring this to life, I started by creating a storyboard of the monk praying in a dark, chapel-like nightmare realm. He would have glowing red eyes and an evil grin, eventually transforming into a horrific skull head. This eerie vision would dissolve into a scene of howling wolves before culminating in a chaotic whirlwind.
Animation Production
Given the extremely tight schedule and limited computing power at hand at the time, as I had modeled the character and environment and fully animated the 3D sequence, I outsourced the rendering to a professional rendering service. Thus, I could review and finalize the animation within days instead of weeks.
Once the producer approved the visuals, I refined the sequence, incorporating effects, 2D stock media, and sound design, including wolf howls, lightning strikes, and a deep, menacing growl for the monk. The animation was carefully synchronized with the music, enhancing the dramatic tension of the scene.
See Excerpts from the Animation
Sneak Peek into the Full Animation
Here you can see the most prominent scenes in the Savonarola animation sequence. Please note that these excerpts are displayed at 120% of their original speed and low preview quality.
At first, the camera moves along a dark chapel corridor towards Savonarola © Eero Karvonen
Camera circles Savonarola and catches his attention as he's praying at the chapel window © Eero Karvonen
Camera sweeps from below into Savonarola's red eye for a scene transition © Eero Karvonen
Savonarola transforms into an eerie skullface and howling wolves appear © Eero Karvonen
Animation, Lights, Choreography
On-site in Helsinki, our skilled lighting designer, Valo Virtanen, took the completed animation as a reference and crafted a complementary lighting program. His meticulous work aligned the stage lighting with the animation’s color palette, creating a fully immersive experience. At showtime, the video clips and lighting triggered seamlessly at the push of a button, enhancing the stage choreography delivered by Jouni Prittinen.
See what the operagoers saw in the performance by clicking the video below!
Animation: Eero Karvonen
Lighting Design: Valo Virtanen
Choreography: Jouni Prittinen
The excerpt is without sound.
Reception
The animation received widespread praise from both the opera team and the audience. One of composer Jukka Linkola’s VIP guests remarked, “We were blown away when that scene began – it felt like we were watching a Hollywood film!”
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