The Bach Weeks Thun bring Bach to life
Naturally, there are neither photos nor videos of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Through the Bach 2.0 project, the Bach Weeks in Thun present the Baroque composer as a living person—made possible by AI.
In the tower hall of Holligen Castle in Bern, which could pass for the former Thomasschule Leipzig, the Bachwochen Thun have made a video - with Johann Sebastian Bach in the leading role. The short film shows the completion of the only authentic portrait of Bach that has survived in the original, painted by the German painter Elias Gottlob Haussmann (1695-1774). The well-preserved Haussmann painting from 1748 can be found in the Bach Archive in Leipzig. It is considered a reference painting for Bach's appearance.
Based on the Haussmann painting, Iranian 3D artist Hadi Karimi created a high-resolution, photorealistic 3D model of Bach's face. In the film's post-production, the face of Leipzig actor Christoph Müller, who plays the role of Bach, was replaced by Bach's digitally reconstructed face with the help of artificial intelligence.
Bach as a living person
This deepfake now shows Bach as a living person. In the video spot, Bach plays model for Haussmann, who is completing the portrait of the master. You can also see that Bach doesn't actually have time to model because a composition urgently needs to be completed.
The clip ends with a request from Bach, spoken in Thuringian Saxon, Bach's mother tongue: "But to you, dear lovers of my music, may this request be graciously requested: To attend the performance of the pleasing Collegium Musicum Bachwochen Thun and then to kindly send me your esteemed message about it!".
A picture comes to life
Tehran designer Hadi Karimi is considered the world's leading specialist in digital portraiture. He has revived the Baroque master for the Bachwochen Thun, bringing Bach to life in moving images.
The three-minute video clip was produced by the Bern-based production company Epic Lab and directed by Andreas Graf. Indian VFX artist Mubin Khan is responsible for the deepfake.
Idea, concept and script: Vital Julian Frey, Bachwochen Thun. Video-Cast: Christoph Müller as J. S. Bach, Eugen Jost as E. G. Haussmann. Video producer: Andreas Graf, Epic Lab. 3D artist / Bach face: Hadi Karimi. VFX Artist / Deepfake: Mubin Khan.
