Video: The Royal Ballet and Opera Releases Cover of Rosalía's 'Berghain'

The Royal Ballet and Opera has released a cover version of Rosalía’s hit song Berghain with soprano Jacquelyn Stucker, conductor/violinist Stefano Montanari and pianist Hannah Quinn. Their version strips back Rosalía’s pop-infused track to imagine it in its raw operatic form, filmed in the 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. 

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.