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.