MIDI Week Singles: "Fertile Rondo (English)" - Bayonetta 3 (NS)

 

"Fertile Rondo (English)" from Bayonetta 3 on the Nintendo Switch (2022)
Composer: Naofumi Harada
Singer: Julie Nathanson
Album: Bayonetta 3 Original Soundtrack 
Label: Wave Master Entertainment
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: PlatinumGames

There are a couple of reasons why I chose "Fertile Rondo" as the MIDI Week Single.  First, when this song happened in the game, I was just in awe of the composition, and the singer (Julie Nathanson).  I was not expecting an opera sequence in this game, let alone one that fits so well within the Bayonetta universe.  Secondly, how this boss fight operated was genius in that it was not overly difficult as it was essentially a rhythm game, but to a song you had never heard before.  There was still plenty of stress however as all proper boss battles should be capable of, but for the most part, it was a really fun boss battle and very unique for the entire series.  The Bayonetta series has had its share of context button-mashing quick time events with some being overly punishing, but this one I would have happily played again just on its own because of how amazing the whole scene was.

There were a lot of people credited with writing music for Bayonetta 3, specifically 16 people, not including Hirochi Sakaguchi who wrote the original theme to Bayonetta and was the music supervisor on B3.  All of this to say, I could not find an interview with Naofumi Harada about his inspirations for "Fertile Rondo" but the two that immediately jump out to me are the "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" aria from Motzart's The Magic Flute, and the "Diva Dance" section from the opera sequence in The Fifth Element.  There is another version of the same song sung by Ririko Nanase who does an equally phenomenal with the part, bringing a slightly different tone and feel.  I feel that I am slightly biased towards the version that I played because it was the first one I heard and left an impression on my video game-playing heart, but the number of times I have listened to both versions of the song in the week leading up today is probably well into the double digits.

~JWfW/JDub/The Faceplantman/Jaconian
Instrumental

P.S.  And the halfway point where the skeleton hands hold up glowsticks and start dancing to the music is hilarious, and I loved it.

P.P.S.  There is a great developer video diary from PlatinumGames showcasing the music in the game, although sadly there is no direct mention of this particular piece.

P.P.P.S.  Seriously though, from about 2:55 through the end of the song, chills every single time.