From Mozart to Berghain: Rosalía’s LUX Bridges Musical Centuries
Rosalía’s new album LUX connects centuries of musical passion through a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. Before Beatlemania swept the world, there was Lisztomania; before clubbing culture, people waltzed in beer halls and sang intense operas that explored desire.
Though human emotions remain universal, musical tastes transform over time. What once was captivating in a 3/4 waltz gave way to the rhythm of 4/4 for hundreds of years.
A Journey Through Music and Spirituality
LUX reflects Rosalía’s personal spirituality, influenced by her Catholic roots alongside elements of classical philosophy, new age thought, Islam, and her distinct relationship with God. The album, conducted by Daníel Bjarnason with the London Symphony Orchestra, engages in a dialogue with the musical and philosophical ideas of history.
Echoes of Don Giovanni
Structurally and philosophically, LUX draws parallels with Mozart’s Don Giovanni, the tale of a mischievous nobleman known as Don Juan. Throughout the opera, Don Giovanni escapes peril time and again until finally confronting an unstoppable force.
“Questo è il fin di chi fa mal, e de’ perfidi la morte alla vita è sempre ugual.”
LUX places Rosalía and her characters in moral jeopardy, concluding with a reflection on humanity through an inevitable encounter with death.
Author's Summary
Rosalía’s LUX masterfully blends historical and contemporary musical influences to explore deep spirituality and the timeless human struggle with morality and mortality.