Opera Mezzo Takes Eurovision, Greta's Mother Wins Over Moscow

MAY 15 2009 · 12:10

Malena Ernman · "La voix" · Sweden · 2009 Placement: 21 · Score: 33 · Language: French, English · Composers: Fredrik Kempe, Malena Ernman · Venue: Olimpiysky · Host: Moscow, Russia · Type: performance innovation · Broadcast: digital hd Ernman stands center-stage in a Jean Paul Gaultier-designed crimson gown and performs operatic mezzo-soprano passages over a driving EDM beat. The French-language verses float; the English bridge belts; the coloratura run on 'la voix' hits a pinpoint high note. Sweden's big orchestral conceit, classically trained voice on dance production, is a gamble Moscow's Olimpiysky audience respects but doesn't love. 21st place. Context Ernman was already one of Europe's leading opera singers, Royal Stockholm Opera principal mezzo, 2005 Glyndebourne seasons. Her Melodifestivalen entry was framed as a cultural argument. She was also the mother of two daughters, the older of whom, Greta Thunberg, age six at the time, would become the world's most visible climate activist a decade later. Legacy The card's resonance shifted entirely after 2018 when Greta began her school strike. Ernman co-authored the family memoir 'Scenes from the Heart' (2018), describing Greta's autism diagnosis and the family's climate transition. 'La voix' is now one of the most-searched Eurovision songs in post-2018 documentaries about the Thunbergs, framing the contest as a pre-history.