by Luisa De Vita
Between symphonic orchestrations, operatic echoes and contemporary experimentation, Rosalía turns the language of classical music into a new form of artistic expression. With «Berghain», Rosalía explores a musical territory where the European art-music tradition meets contemporary experimentation. The track, marked by an intense atmosphere and a sonic framework unusual for the pop landscape, stands out for the central role of the strings, of orchestral textures and of a kind of writing that in some respects recalls the world of classical and operatic music. The title evokes the famous Berlin club Berghain, a symbol of international techno culture. The musical dimension of the track builds a dialogue between seemingly distant languages: the solemnity of the orchestra, the intensity of the voice and the sounds of contemporary production.
One of the most interesting aspects of «Berghain» is the way the orchestral sounds help define the identity of the track, such as the string section, which takes an active part in building the emotional tension. The dynamics, the timbral contrasts and the layering of instrumental voices recall certain principles typical of symphonic writing, in which sound becomes a narrative tool. The orchestra thus takes on a dramatic function and helps create an atmosphere charged with meaning. Classical music is not used as a mere quotation of the past, but rather as an expressive resource capable of engaging with the possibilities offered by digital production. Rosalía’s voice holds a central position in this sonic balance, where her performance sits within a context that recalls, in its intensity and theatricality, certain features of the operatic tradition while keeping a contemporary sensibility. The singing takes part in a more elaborate musical construction, in which vocal color and the contrast with the instruments take on fundamental importance. The result is a listening experience that invites us to move beyond the traditional separation between art music and popular music. The two can meet and generate new forms of expression.
The interest of «Berghain» also lies in its ability to question the boundaries between musical genres: classical music, for instance, understood not only as a historical repertoire but also as a set of compositional techniques and timbral possibilities, can become living material within contemporary production.
It is precisely in the tension between these worlds that a significant part of the track’s expressive power is born. Rosalía stands out for her ability to approach this dialogue through a personal search, attentive to the sonic dimension as much as to the performative one. With «Berghain», Rosalía explores the dialogue between classical music and pop avant-garde, turning orchestral sounds into a contemporary language. Tradition and innovation meet, crossing the boundaries between genres and showing how art music can still reinvent itself, finding new forms of expression in today’s musical landscape.