- Superstar soprano Jacquelyn Stucker covers lead single from Rosalía’s hit album Lux
- Song contains elements of opera and classical music, demonstrating their enduring ability to inspire other genres and entertain listeners
- Surge in interest in opera: traffic to the Royal Ballet and Opera’s website is up 19% on last year in the period since the album’s release
Today, The Royal Ballet and Opera has released a cover version of Catalan singer-songwriter Rosalía’s hit song Berghain with soprano Jacquelyn Stucker, conductor/violinist Stefano Montanari and pianist Hannah Quinn. Our version strips back Rosalía’s demanding pop-infused track to imagine it in its raw operatic form, filmed in the magnificent Royal Opera House.
The lead track on her hit album Lux, Berghain features vocals from Björk whose distinctive tone appears between the orchestral arrangement and Rosalía’s own operatic vocals and clashing genres, demonstrating opera’s enduring ability to inspire other styles of music.
On the album, Rosalía also sings in 13 languages including Italian, German, Ukrainian and her native Spanish, mirroring the myriad of different languages opera singers, including Jacquelyn, sing in regularly.
Since Lux was released on 7 November, the RBO has seen a 19% rise in traffic to the RBO website, compared to the same period last year, and 140% surge in Google searches for our recent production of The Makropulos Case. This demonstrates a potential link between Rosalía’s music raising the profile of opera and interest in the artform more widely.
Jacquelyn Stucker, soprano said:
“Opera has always been an inspiration for other genres of music and it has been amazing to explore Rosalía’s song in the operatic tradition. In fact, there is so much in Berghain that mirrors the baroque music in Handel’s Ariodante that we’re rehearsing at the moment: the drama, the virtuosic violin riffs, the improvisation as an ensemble, the conductor leading from the violin and the constant movement of the music. I hope people enjoy this cover as much as we enjoyed recording it – come and see us perform Ariodante on the Royal Opera House stage!”
Berghain (released on 27 October) is part of a growing trend of headline moments for opera and classical music, providing an opportunity for people to experience these artforms in new ways. Its success follows on from other artists, such as Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) and Caroline Polachek (who sings an aria in Last Days which runs at The Royal Opera 5 December – 3 January) who have brought operatic elements to pop music.
Jacquelyn Stucker and Stefan Montanari are currently starring in our new production of Handel’s Ariodante which runs on the Main Stage 9 – 21 December; tickets start at just £11. Stucker is also a former Jette Parker Artist, a two-year professional residency with The Royal Opera that offers development and performance opportunities.