RockOpera Prague teamed up with the director of the Painted Bird. They released the music video Amen
July 1, 2022 8:59 AM – COMMERCIAL ARTICLE
RockOpera Prague presented a new music video for the song Amen from the rock opera Maria Madonna. It was created in collaboration with the director Václav Marhoul, who agreed to use footage from his award-winning film The Painted Bird.
Václav Marhoul, recipient of the Czech Lion, and RockOpera Prague, the first Czech rock theater. These names have more in common than meets the eye. The director of The Painted Bird, Tobruk and Mazané Filip has been friends with the founders of the theater, Milan Steigerwald and Pavla Forest, for years.
Viktor Dyk as Judas and Japanese dancer Taro Troupe as the embodiment of evil in Maria Madonna’s rock opera
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
“We once recorded as a band King Size the song Last of the Mohicans from the City, for which a video clip was created with footage from Marhoul’s film Mazaný Filip,” said the librettist, singer and executive director Pavla Forest about the beginnings of the collaboration with the acclaimed filmmaker, which resulted in another joint project – a video clip for the touching song Amen. Pavla sang the song as the representative of the title role in the rock opera Maria Madonna.
Czech-American Tristan V. Hold as young Jesus is a great movement talent
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
“We approached Václav if I would like to take part in our next video years later. As a fan of our work, he enthusiastically agreed.” she described the forest.
Jan Tláskal in the role of Jesus sings on the cross
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
The director also became the godfather of the opera Maria Madonna, from which the composition originates. In RockOpera Prague but appeared in the past. Last June, for example, he baptized Anna Karenina, the theater’s last album so far.
Jana Ricci as Salome dancing to Herod (Jan Jaffi Filipenský)
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
Dedicated to the victims of the war in Ukraine
RockOpera decided to dedicate the song to all the victims of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. “Our theater openly disagrees with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We feel sorry for everyone affected by the war,” Forest added.
Pavla Forest’s duet in the role of Mary with Máří Magdalena played by Daniela Langerová is one of the most moving moments
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
The clip was edited by Nikita Dovzhenko, who is also the co-author of the internationally acclaimed video for the song Crying from the horror opera The Exorcist.
Jiří Zonyga excellently portrays Pontius Pilate
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
“We wanted a filmmaker from our creative team to watch the video as well. Nikita is our long-time collaborator and friend who has already proven that he has a great feeling for telling stories with images. With the task of editing the footage from The Painted Bird into just three minutes, he did an excellent job.” Forest said.
Fiery acrobatics give Maria Madonna’s rock opera elements of tension
PHOTO: Nikita Dovzhenko
Maria Madonna’s latest rock opera tells the story of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his mother. It stars Jan Tláskal as Jesus, and opera legend Eva Urbanová as a divine voice. Jan Toužimský is the opposite of her in the role of the devil. Maria Madonna is also played by Jiří Zonyga, Viktor Dyk, Daniela Langrová, Raven or, in the series, Jana Ricci, who performs a dance with a live snake as Salomé.
New music video for the song Amen from the rock opera Maria Madonna
RockOpera Prague
Here you can see the new music video for the song Amen from the rock opera Maria Madonna. ■