One of rock’s greatest lyricists, and most versatile stylists, Elvis Costello, has announced he will write “a piece of lyric theatre based on the life of the great fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen” that will premiere at the Royal Danish Opera in October. In a Guardian report by Charlotte Higgins, the director of the Opera, Henrik Engelbrecht, says he turned to the world of rock because, “What we have is an art form that is 400 years old, and has developed. We don’t do opera seria like we did in the 18th century. One of the tasks we think we have is to look at other forms — dance, rock and film — anything that can invigorate our own art form.” As Higgins points out, Costello has previously told reporters, “I don’t give a fuck about being a rock’n’roll star. I just want to do the things that interest me.”