rufus wainwright tour history

Rufus Wainwright’s Career at 20: A Tour-Previewing Oral History

Rufus Wainwright is hitting the road to celebrate his debut album's 20th anniversary. He, Lenny Waronker and Van Dyke Parks recall his humble but hoopla-filled salad days.

By Tim Greiving

Tim Greiving

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Rufus Wainwright introduced himself on May 19th, 1998. He was the first new artist signed to DreamWorks Records, the label appendage of the new film studio which launched in 1996. His self-titled album was only a modest success, sales-wise — there were no hit singles — but critics and musicians immediately genuflected. The album made a slew of top 10 lists that year; Rolling Stone named Wainwright the best new artist of 1998; and fellow artists, from Michael Stipe to David Byrne to k.d. lang, became vocal fans. Elton John famously christened Wainwright “the best songwriter on the planet.”

Twenty years on, the now 45-year-old singer — whose lush, neoclassical style was aptly nicknamed “popera,” and who just composed his second actual  opera (“Hadrian “ ) — is looking back at the album that started it all with a tour. “ All These Poses ”  kicks off Nov. 9 at L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, and will take Wainwright and a small band around the world performing songs from “Rufus Wainwright” (“Foolish Love,” “Millbrook,” “Sally Ann”) and his more successful follow-up, “Poses.” In honor of the anniversary, we spoke to the man himself, as well as two pivotal figures: Van Dyke Parks, who was handed the inceptive demo tape by Rufus’ father, Loudon Wainwright III, and who wrote string arrangements on several tracks; and Lenny Waronker, who took the gamble when he signed the 23-year-old musician to DreamWorks.  

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Rufus Wainwright : I started professionally making music, arguably, at the age of 12. My mother, Kate McGarrigle, was asked by a film director in Canada to do music for this movie called “Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller,” and she flippantly asked if I wanted to write a song for it. The minute she said that, I just went into the other room and wrote this song called “I’m-a-Running.” The song itself was first nominated for a Genie, which is like a Canadian Oscar, and then I was also nominated for a Juno as Best Young Artist. Neither of those awards I won, thankfully [ laughs ]. But a star was born, and an ego was stroked.

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I then went back to boarding school in upstate New York. In the meantime, I developed this incredible passion for opera. I didn’t necessarily think I was going to be a composer or an opera singer, but I dimmersed myself in that world. I think I knew, deep in the back of my head, that there were a lot of secret ingredients there that I could steal [ laughs ] for my own songwriting, and really create an aesthetic that was unusual, in terms of drama, and in terms of structure of a song. I wrote this one song called “Liberty Cabbage” — it didn’t make it onto the record — about the United States and how horrifying it was [ laughs ]. My mom and aunt really loved it. Then I wrote about 30 other songs that were really out there. I sang them all for my mother, and my mother went, “Those are all crap.” She thought I was being completely overwrought and uneconomical. So I trashed all of those and went and wrote “Beauty Mark,” which made it on the first record. That was about her, and she loved that song. It was really from “Beauty Mark” on that I started writing the songs for the first record — “Foolish Love” and everything. I think from my mother’s strong iron fist, I really tried to balance this florid tendency with a kind of anchor in what songwriting should be… which is, you know, relatable [ laughs ].

Wainwright recorded nine songs, with piano and vocals only, in the studio of Pierre Marchand, who had just produced an album for Kate & Anna McGarrigle (and would go on to produce “ Poses”   with Wainwright).

Wainwright : I eventually moved down to New York, and started trying to do shows. It was right at the time when Jeff Buckley’s first album had come out and there was a real cult following for him. It was that place, Sin-é, where he played; I went there several times with my little tape, and was refused three times. I was the antithesis of this Lower East Side, nihilistic, heroin-chic person. I was this little bow-tied opera lover and piano-playing queen, so they didn’t get me. But I started going to a lot of gay bars, obviously, and enjoying all that stuff, and there was this one older gay guy who owned a classical record label. We were at this famous Chelsea gay bar, talking about music. I just gave him this “I’m gonna make it” kind of look: “I’m inevitable.” He was taken aback by how fierce my desire was for music, and said, “We should do something together. We could do an album of you doing Schubert songs, because you obviously love opera.” So I recorded a couple of Schubert songs, and that was actually a great education in itself. But my dad got wind of this and got really nervous and protective of me, and felt like maybe I was being led down the garden path, you know? “Yeah sure, ‘Sing some Schubert songs.’ Schu my  bert!” So he then took my demo and brought it to Van Dyke. I think it was partially out of appreciation for what it was, but I think it was also out of fear of what was happening to me with this other kind of shady character.

Van Dyke Parks : I’ve known Loudon for decades, since our brunette days. I respect his work, and he indicated he respects mine. He reached out and said, “Van Dyke, I have a tape cassette here. I’d like you to listen to it. Please do what you can.” I immediately sensed that I could do something constructive to bring a father and his son together, so I listened to the tape with great expectation, and I was delighted to hear what I heard, because I felt that he was an excellent songwriter, and I immediately wanted to put my hat in the ring to be the producer of those works. I called post-adolescent Rufus, (who was) very grateful that he would get a call all the way from California, and I told him that I wanted the liberty of playing this tape for Lenny Waronker. Then, and this was a conscious decision, I wrote Lenny Waronker a handwritten — that is, a cursive  letter — which said: “Here is a tape that is very important, of this young songwriter. It is essential that it gets made. He is inevitable, ” is the word I used. Then I said this sentence: “If you do not want to produce this fellow, please let me know — because I do.”

Lenny Waronker : I just thought, i f Van Dyke’s saying it’s undeniable; it’s got to be good.  But I didn’t want to play it, because we hadn’t made a deal, and I didn’t want to fall in love with something until we finalized our DreamWorks thing. Once that was done, I had it in my car and I was driving around, and I put it on… and there it was. I couldn’t believe it. It was better than I could have imagined. My daughter was in a band that was pretty well respected, and I played it for her — they were in the same sort of culture — and she said, “You have to sign that guy.” And my son, same thing — he was in Beck(‘s band) at the time, so I had some help from them. I said, “Your generation doesn’t have anything like this.”

Wainwright : I went from being this downtrodden dandy in the East Village where nobody would accept my cassette tape, to being flown first-class to live in the Chateau Marmont and recording orchestra sessions with Van Dyke Parks at Capitol Records, and working at Ocean Way, and being the first artist really signed to DreamWorks. It was a very dramatic shift.

Waronker : I had a close friend at work at Geffen Records at the time, Tony Berg, a very accomplished musician and producer. I knew Tony would like it, and I said, “I need to find somebody who can take this and make it otherworldly.” He said, “There’s one guy; his name is Jon Brion.” I loved the idea of having a guy who can play everything and pretty much take it to Mars — but in a beautiful way. And Jon was beyond. He was fabulous.

Parks : I didn’t hear back from Lenny, nor Rufus, for some time. Then someone from Montreal sent me a newspaper article. An interviewer asked Lenny Waronker, “Why didn’t you have Van Dyke Parks produce this record?” And Lenny said to the reporter, “We were looking for someone to do that with new ears.” That was the first indication in my life that I would be the subject of ageism. I was very sorry about that, because my interest in Rufus was absolutely tightly connected to my friendship with Loudon — a familial relationship, you might say. I didn’t want Rufus to fall in the hands of a usurious producer, who would inflate the budget and his own profit in an overly produced record. I’d already done one of those myself, by the way, and I would find that very boring. I was hoping that Rufus would appear very stripped and bleeding, obvious and clear as glacial ice. I knew he was gay and he would be wrestling with that in public. I wanted to be involved. But that was not in the cards.

Wainwright : What happened with Jon Brion… and I always like to preface this with, you know, we made a really amazing record together, and I am eternally indebted to his labors and dedication. But Lenny suggested Jon Brion as a producer. We met. We then went into the studio together for a full 24 hours, and produced and recorded all of two tracks: “Matinee Idol” and “Barcelona.” All there. At which point I was completely possessed with a desire to be involved in all aspects of the production — like, I was throwing out string lines and thinking of percussion parts and harmonies. It was an immediate inundation, and it joined with Jon’s also very manic sensibilities, and we were just in this whirlwind of creativity for about 24 hours. I was arguably never happier than that early dawn, driving through Hollywood listening to what we had done. So it was really obvious that we had to work together. We signed the deal, and Jon then proceeded to completely… it’s hard to say. He shifted gears, and decided that he  was the producer, and that my input was to be tempered, and that he had to basically set up a system where we weren’t in communication that much. He told me, flat out, that he was angry that I was the one having my record made and not him [ laughs ]. And we kind of went from there.

(Brion, who went on to score films including “ Magnolia,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Lady Bird,” declined to be interviewed for this piece.)

It took the better part of three years to create the album, done in intermittent spurts at several studios around town — including Ocean Way, Sunset Sound Factory, and Media Vortex — as well as one track at Marchand’s studio in Montreal, where Marchand produced “In My Arms.”

Wainwright : I ended up fighting tooth and nail for what I wanted in that process. I did end up putting tons of harmonies. But we had to bargain. It was a very dramatic shift that he decided to take, and that I, in my naiveté, didn’t really know was bizarre. And a million dollars later, it was finished.

Waronker : It’s kind of a problem that I have. If you’re involved with somebody that’s that special, you want to make sure it’s the best it can be. And it was a difficult task. We spent some money on it. But I just felt like it was almost a debut album for us [DreamWorks], and it was important.

Wainwright : [Brion] could only work, like, three days a week or something. We weren’t allowed to really talk. He said, “If you have any questions for me, you have to ask Valerie, and Valerie will ask me, and I’ll tell her and she’ll tell you. Because I’ll be in the back room.” And then he would, like, grace me with his presence. I hate to have to demonize him, but he was pretty awful to me. But there’s kind of a nice story that ended up happening later on. Apparently when “Want One” came out, he was in some session, and he stopped it and brought everybody into the control room and they listened to “Want One” from beginning to end. I think he was really conflicted, because I think on one hand he adored and wanted to be my greatest champion, but was also incredibly jealous of the position I was in. So I forgive him. And I also thank him, in the sense that it made me pretty tough at the end of the day.

Parks : One day I got a call from Lenny Waronker, and he said, “We have some tunes that might be good for an arrangement or something. Would you listen and see what you think?” I listened to the entirety, and I decided on, I believe, five arrangements. I think four of them made the first record. Of course, I knew that the reason Lenny called me was because they didn’t know what the hell to do with this kid. But Lenny sensed that strings would be a great proscenium for such a talent. If you have 12 violins, you can have four in a line, but then if you have five in the first violins you still haven’t lost any dimension when you put the fifth violin on a solo — which I did do, I think in “Baby.” Even his polymetric approach in “Millbrook,” in the quasi tango intro, there’s an irregular measure there. When I first heard it, I thought: Oh, he’s made a mistake. No, he didn’t make a mistake. He intended it to disrupt a pedestrian approach. All of a sudden, the left foot wasn’t on the left anymore. Very intelligent work.

Waronker : We were fortunate, because we were using real instruments on those songs, and the way Van Dyke arranges this stuff… you’re just aware of the beauty. The string writing is so unique and wonderful. And at the same time, because Rufus’ piano parts, for the most part, were pretty complex, Van Dyke was careful about taking advantage of it, and not getting in the way at the same time. It was great.

Parks : Could I have saved them some money, and a lot of precious time… which is the only thing we can never regain? Yes. In a flash. That’s how able Rufus was, to me, just with a piano and voice. I remember how hard I worked, how much it meant to me. And it still does. Many times I’ve seen myself get buried under a sawtooth guitar and a bass and drums. There are times when I feel I’ve done something that doesn’t matter. But this one mattered, and this one worked out.

Wainwright : What I really hear with the first album is just how great those records sound, because that was still done all on tape. It was like really old-school, splicing — no Pro Tools, no anything. And there is a warmth to that, which I’m happy to have in my repertoire. 

The album , “Rufus Wainwright,”   sold less than 40,000 copies and didn’t make any charts save for Billboard’s Top Heatseekers .

Wainwright : I’m not pop, really, and you probably won’t hear me on the radio. But there is something about what I do that… it’s extroverted. So it’s this funny dilemma, and this has always been the story: People think I’m far more famous than I actually am, and then people hear about me without hearing about my music. It’s a strange inequality that I think has actually served me well over the years. If my first record really had been successful on a monetary level, and gotten all the praise and attention, I do think it could have killed me, honestly. I don’t think I was ready to deal with that kind of scrutiny, and that kind of loss of privacy, and I think my ego would have devoured me at that point. So I was spared a lot of misery by not actually being so famous.

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Rufus Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is an American-Canadian Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and composer from Rhineneck, New York, U.S.

Born to parents Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwirght III, Rufus’ parents divorced when he was three and the toddler lived with his mother in Montreal, Canada for most of his childhood. Rufus began playing piano at age six and started touring with the family band The McGarrigle Sisters and Family” aged 13 which included his mother Kate, his sister Martha and aunt Anna.

At age 14 Wainwright earned a 1989 Genie Nomination for his performance of “I’m a-Runnin” in the film “Tommy Ticker and the Stamp Traveller, and a year later nominated for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist. After this time Rufus began his life-long adoration for the opera which would strongly influence his future musical excursions.

Through weekly shows on Montreal’s club circuit, Rufus created a series of demo tapes, which eventually secured him record deal with DreamWorks. 1998’s self-titled debut took the best part of 1996 and 1997 to record a total of 56 songs, using 62 rolls of tape, costing an estimate of $700,000. The album received huge critical acclaim, topped many best-of lists, and won a series of awards, however the commercial success was limited.

Wainwright’s follow-up album “Poses” released June 5, 2001, continued the same vein of critical acclaim without commercial success for Rufus. After a stint of using crystal meth where the singer temporarily lost his eye sight, and a surreal week which included a cameo appearance on the BBC program “Absolutely Fabulous”, partying with George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara and singing with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus decided he needed a change.

In 2003 Wainwirght released the full-length “Want One” and a year later “Want Two”. Both albums would be combined and released under the name “Want” in 2005, the same year Rufus made vocal contributions to Mercury Prize winning album Antony and the Johnsons’ “I am a Bird Now" and Burt Bacharach’s “At This Time”.

In 2006 Wainwright performed a pair of sold-out shows at New York's, U.S., Carnegie Hall where he performed the entire Judy Garland concert album, and did the same at the London, UK’s Palladium.

Rufus’ follow album “Release the Stars” achieved much greater commercial success peaking at No. 2 in the UK Albums chart and No. 23 on the Billboard 200, and featured mother Kate, sister Martha, Neil Tennant and Joan Wasser.

Wainwright’s subsequent albums, 2010’s “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu” and 2012’s “Out of the Game” both performed well in the charts and received much the same acclaim Rufus has come to expect.

Live reviews

Being at a Rufus Wainwright concert is a bit like spending a couple of hours talking to one of your closest friends. The conversation is easy and flowing, even if you haven’t seen each other in a while. The topics range from serious: death, for example--to mundane: getting a massage or haircut, and everything in between. Sometimes the conversation goes off on weird tangents, and you forget where you were going with that. Sometimes you talk about old friends (“California,” “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk”). Sometimes you throw out new ideas (“Sword of Damocles”). You laugh, you cry. You realize how lucky you are to have a friend like this.

Rufus’s shows cover a lot of ground. He sang from his debut album (“Beauty Mark”, “Millbrook”) through his latest album of Shakespeare’s sonnets (“A Woman’s Face”). He sang a dark, dark cover song about dying (“Going In” by Lhasa). In fact, he sang and talked a lot about dying--as topics go according to him, “one of my faves.” This was, after all, his late beloved mother’s birthday. And there is a great deal of darkness about just now. But minutes later he’d have us all laughing with a story about trying to convince Lorna Luft to allow 50 drag queens dressed like Judy Garland be part of his show at Carnegie Hall (Lorna said no), or the Spanish masseuse who softly encouraged him to “perspire, respire, perspire, respire.”

Of course, Rufus is really not my friend. But his music and manner make me feel as if he is. He connects. He touches. He even invited some of his actual friends to be part of the show: The von Trapps sang a beautiful acapella song (“Storm”), then they and Thomas Lauderdale joined Rufus on Anna McGarrigle’s “Kitty Come Home.” When Rufus and Thomas collaborated on “Blue Moon,” it felt like listening in on two old friends jamming in the living room.

Rufus is an energetic and dynamic performer, without flamboyant outfits or crazy dance moves or anything electronic or flashy. (Wearing skinny jeans and a plaid shirt, he quipped that he was dressed “as a lumberjack.”) It’s amazing how he commands the stage with his voice and presence, yet maintains this friendly, self-effacing manner at the same time. Maybe that’s artifice, but it sure feels genuine. He is so low-key that you almost forget at times what an accomplished, talented, and musically diverse artist he is. From opera to ragtime, from classical to pop, from Carnegie Hall to the little Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon, he’s at home. And makes us feel at home, too.

Also sang: Gay Messiah, The Art Teacher, Going to a Town, Jericho, Out of the Game, Hallelujah, 11:11, Candles

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Oh dear Rufus, have you made my life complete. Not only because your first gig in Paris back in 1999 was where I fell in love with my dear wife. But ever since then none of your gigs has been disappointing.

Be it the last minute solo piano gigs, or the extremely theatrical appearances with costumes, never-ending bands with horns and flutes, you have it all. In Berlin you already rocked: - the Passionskirche, with Joan as a Police Woman as Guest, and a final a la Passions Christi - the Akademie des Künste with a more American and electrified show - newly another church, the Apostel Kirche, with your half sister as guest.

Always pitch perfect, always witty and bonding with each city's crowd (though it might be easier with Berlin having your husband from here). But it's your songs and repertoire that make it possible, within a decade you've delivered albums that make you one of the most respected living songwriters by your peers, and many of the collaboration you've picked up also enrich the songs: Antony, Mark Ronson, to name a few. Please come back (and stay for good this time).

Often described as one of the most intelligent men in music, Rufus Wainwright has enjoyed a long, celebrated career which has naturally amassed a global following giving him the opportunity to travel with his music which in turns has gone on to inspire other parts of his music.

By having such intelligent composure, his music has quite a heavy presence when performed live and the emotional intensity of 'Jericho' and 'Little Sister' clearly moves the audience. Wainwright talks about the reason behind writing certain tracks and the affect that songwriting has on him as a person. He performs 'Gay Messiah' after expressing his strong views for same sex marriage, he is campaigning on a personal level so he can in fact wed his partner Jörn Weisbrodt which makes the performance all more heartfelt.

By the final encore of 'Going to a Town' and a spine chilling cover version of 'Hallelujah' the audience have well and truly been emotionally drained by Wainwright's discography and captivating stage persona yet they would not have it any other way.

Rufus Wainwright is an inspiring singer songwriter and performer. His accoustic concert in Perth showcased his breadth of talent, his incredible voice and piano playing, with his capability to bring people along with him on his personal journey.

Being able to show us his new works was obviously important while giving a good mix of audience favourites spanning his previous decades.It's simply not possible to perform all his works on one occasion and I believe Rufus made the right selections.

Not as enamored by his guitar work, I did most enjoy his movement between performing at the piano and standing to sing especially while accompanied by his incredible guest pianist, Thomas Lauderdale.

Would definitely return to see Rufus again...next time would love strings to accompany his heavenly voice.

We love Rufus! At our first concert, we met people who had seen him eight times! I thought it was crazy but by the end of the show, I understood.

Last night, a group of 12 of us went to Mercyhurst University to see Rufus. It was our fourth time! (What can I say? We're hooked!) It was the first time for our friends. The venue is world-class. Ticket purchases were easy. Parking was convenient and free. Now to the show...

Rufus was once again amazing! He played his classics and some new music. His voice was clear and strong. His stories were fun and entertaining.

He's a master at his craft. That's not just my opinion. The group of friends we attended with, all were wowed! If you have a chance to see Rufus Wainwright, do it. You'll be glad that you did.

A 10 out of 10! His voice is amazing, the vocal range, the depth, the control, the creativity was again amazing. It was one of the best concerts i have been to. I hope he comes back to northern California each year so I can enjoy his voice in person. He introduces most of his songs or gives some backstory after he has sung it. He's very jovial, funny and upbeat. He ended with Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk and encored with Hallelujah and second encored with Poses. Incredible show, I could not have been more captivated or impressed. I'm a deeper Rufus fan.

I would like if they would sell vinyl at the concerts too. It'd be great to have it autographed.

This was my third Rufus concert, an artist I absolutely admire as a 20 year fan from the early days of his career. Saw him in Brooklyn and L.A., and this time in Portland, OR. Musically this was probably the best one of them all, and Rufus remains for me the top of the line musician through and through. Needless to say, I was saddened by the political stain he forced on the experience with his lame not-my-president remark, and even more by the childish reaction of the audience, but what was I expecting from the Portland crowd... If only we lived in a world where artists appreciated their fans as much as their fans appreciated them.

Just perfect...

It was my sixth time (my second time in London) I see Rufus and always a happiness.

Splendid tribute to Shakespeare between recitals, songs and humor with four extraordinary artists.

Rufus offered us his most beautiful songs about his solo careers.

Looking forward to see him again in Cardiff, Dublin and Naples. He shows again he's the best artist of his generation and we still stay loyal with him.

I love you, Rufus, thank you for all.

Rufus has a way of making you feel,Ike you are friends and he is speaking with you in your apartment.

Intertwined with the fabulous talent he possesses are family anecdotes and just life in general.

His multi talents of vocalizing and piano playing are above superb.

Every song he sang was amazing.

A secondary highlight was the appearance of Jake Gyllenhall as guest.

Can that boy sing.

I did not want the concert to end.

Rufus is even better live - his talent is unbelievable, his voice is angelic. He performed three encores and I couldn't have been more pleased when he ended the show with hallelujah. I waited 20 years to see him and this show didn't disappoint. He sang his pop songs, songs from his Shakespeare album, and arias from his opera. My favorite was getting to hear him acapella - you could HEAR the music, without any at all.

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Provincetown Town Hall

Groton Hill Music Center

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Rufus Wainwright is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 20 concerts across 8 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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• London (61)
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• Lucy Wainwright Roche (46)
• Teddy Thompson (30)
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Rufus Wainwright Announces Tour Behind 20th Anniversary of Debut Album: Exclusive

Rufus Wainwright, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter sensation, has been in the business for two decades.

By Stephen Daw

Stephen Daw

Pride Editor

Rufus Wainwright, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter sensation, has been in the business for two decades. His self-titled debut album was released in 1998, and ever since, he’s been a mainstay in the genre, earning the respect of various legends in the industry. Even Sir Elton John once referred to the “Dinner at Eight” singer as “ the greatest songwriter on the planet. “

Now, 20 years after his debut, Wainwright has announced a new tour commemorating the success of his debut and sophomore albums, Rufus Wainwright and Poses . The Rufus Wainwright All These Poses Anniversary Tour will feature the singer backed up by a full band — something audiences haven’t seen Wainwright do in years.

Rufus Wainwright Announces Fan Experience 'Wainwright Libre' in Cuba

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“A lot of the questions I was asking 20 years ago still haunt me today, though I may seem much more confident and experienced,” the singer said in an exclusive statement to Billboard . “Listening to this old material I’m reminded of how curious and affected I was by the mysteries of life back then. Funny how one totally changes and totally doesn’t at the same time.”

Wainwright is currently performing in Northern Stars , a live concert series in which the singer covers legendary Canadian artists like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. The artist will then premiere his second opera, Hadrian , in Toronto this October, followed by his new tour starting in November.

“[I’m] looking forward to singing the longing melodies of a boy with the voice of a grown man,” Wainwright said.

Head here for tickets.  Check out the videos for two of Wainwright’s songs from Rufus Wainwright and Poses , “April Fools” and “Chocolate Milk & Cigarettes” below.

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Rufus Wainwright

Artist Information

Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical for the West End and a Requiem. His latest GRAMMY® and JUNO nominated album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. To celebrate his 50th birthday he will release a studio album of folk songs and duets featuring among others Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend and Anohni in the summer of 2023.

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Rufus wainwright.

Folkocracy is Rufus Wainwright revisiting his roots, of childhood summers spent at folk festivals and watching his famous family on stage. But it’s also the sound of an artist in the present using all he has learnt from conquering pop to opera and showtunes.

The album, Rufus’s 12th studio album, features an all-star cast of guests, including Brandi Carlile, Chaka Khan, David Byrne, Anohni, Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Nicole Scherzinger, and his family of course among others. The album is a bit of a 50th birthday present to himself, inviting the singers you have always admired to come and join you in the process. 

Not many musicians have the vocal range and depth of interpretation that Wainwright possesses or as The New Yorker simply put it “Nobody sings quite like Rufus Wainwright.” Nobody gives live shows quite like Rufus either. Expect Folkocracy!

Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released 12 studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums, including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical for the West End and a Requiem. His latest GRAMMY® and JUNO nominated album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules , finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness.

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Rufus Wainwright: Unfollow The Rules

Proof of vaccination is no longer required. Masking remains encouraged but optional.

Since September 2021, Indie and Baroque Pop virtuoso Rufus Wainwright has embarked on a worldwide tour with a spectacular three-piece band. Fans old and new in the US and the UK have experienced the singer-songwriter in the absolute prime of his vocal ability. Of his sold-out Palladium show The London Times wrote, “[w]hen he unleashes that velvety truffle of a voice [. . .] you want it to go on and on.” Rufus will deliver a solo performance at the Colonial Theatre.

Audiences can expect a glorious mixture of deep emotion, drama, wit, solace, uplift, entertainment and absolute musical bliss: a journey that not many artists can charter for their listeners.

For the first time in 7 years, Rufus Wainwright released a brand new studio album during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 titled “Unfollow the Rules.” Produced by Mitchell Froom, this album is the bookend to his debut album that garnered him  Best New Artist by American Rolling Stone Magazine in 1998 and can be seen as a summary and climax of all his previous albums, a work of true maturity. It was nominated for a Grammy and Juno and has been met with great critical acclaim. 

“Just extraordinary, just breathtaking..” – NPR All Songs Considered

“An opulently crafted highlight reel, a career-spanning sampler of the singer’s many styles and guises.” –  Pitchfork

“Wainwright certainly knows how to pace a concert, and the performance he gives borders on the operatic, pushing his voice to highs and lows that seem sometimes to defy the odds.” – The Arts Desk

OPENING ACT – EMILY DRINKER

Emily Drinker is an award-winning singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. She blends folk, pop, and rock with a high-energy backing band and soulful 3-part harmonies through live looping. Emily has been featured by NPR Music , played at Firefly Music Festival as well as many smaller regional festivals near Philly, toured in Colombia and around the United States, and in 2021 had her first sync placement on a nationally syndicated TV show (CBS’ The Young and the Restless ). In 2020 and 2021, Emily hosted a livestream series called Every Cent Concerts to support local songwriters during the pandemic, raising thousands of dollars to pay out to Philly-based artists who appeared on the show.

In summer of 2022, Emily will be performing at a few festivals, hosting a day-long music festival in her backyard with her bandmates/housemates, going on tour on the West Coast with one of the bands she plays in, and recording her next project. Emily’s new album, Starting to Feel , came out on April 21, 2022.

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The New York-hailing singer and songwriter is known for his distinctive sound and classic approach to original material and covers alike.

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Flamboyant, American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has long since been on first-name terms with critical acclaim. Influential American rock magazine Rolling Stone earmarked him as their Best New Artist following the release of his eponymous debut album in 1998, while his sixth album, Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall , secured Wainwright his first Grammy Award nomination in 2009. His enviably eclectic CV to date includes seven full-length studio LPs, plus a classical opera, and he has also successfully set Shakespearean sonnets to music for a theatre production by renowned Philip Glass collaborator Robert Wilson.

Born Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright, the young Rufus’ musical education began before he was out of the cradle. His parents – Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III – were both well-established, critically hailed folk singers in their own right, but their personal relationship was turbulent and they divorced when Rufus was only three.

Accordingly, while Rufus was born in Rhinebeck, New York, in July 1973, he spent much of his childhood and early adolescence living in Montreal, Canada, with his mother. He moved to NYC to study at the prestigious private school Millbrook (which later inspired his song ‘Millbrook’) before heading back to Montreal to study piano at McGill University.

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Rufus had first begun tinkering with the piano at the age of six and, by 13, he was accomplished enough to start touring with The McGarrigle Sisters & Family: an extended folk group featuring Rufus alongside his sister Martha, their mother Kate and their aunt Anna McGarrigle. Both Rufus and Martha contributed early songs to a children’s movie, Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller, shot by Canadian director Michael Rubbo and released in 1988. Rufus’ contribution, ‘I’m A-Runnin’’ brought him some early critical acclaim when he was nominated for a Genie, the Canadian Cinema and Television’s equivalent of a BAFTA Award.

Wainwright’s interest in opera became pronounced during his adolescence: a time when he became interested in seminal stars of stage and screen such as Edith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland. He also continued to write his own material, playing live on the Montreal club circuit during his late teens and early 20s, becoming a regular draw at the city’s popular Café Sarajevo.

Wainwright recorded a series of demos with producer Pierre Marchand (whose credits also include Sarah McLachlan and Ron Sexsmith), and these tapes impressed his father Loudon, who passed them on to his friend, the composer/Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks. Also suitably knocked out, Parks passed Rufus’ demos to DreamWorks Records’ executive Lenny Waronker, who was blown away by what he heard and signed Wainwright to the label.

Having moved to New York City, Wainwright further honed his craft performing shows at Club Fez, though he elected to relocate to Los Angeles to record his self-titled debut LP with producer Jon Brion, whose resumé also includes production work with artists as diverse as Dido and Robyn Hitchcock.

Brion and Wainwright took their time in the studio, eventually recording over 50 completed songs over the next 18 months. These were whittled down to 12 for Rufus Wainwright, which was finally released in May 1998. Only loosely related to rock and pop in the strictest sense, the album was totally out of step with the late 90s music scene. It was, however, a splendid showcase for Wainwright’s strikingly individual, cabaret-style vocal delivery, and included songs such as the neo-operatic ‘Foolish Love’ (which featured lush, sweeping orchestration from Van Dyke Parks), the romantic, Spanish-flavoured ‘In My Arms’ and the deathly ballad ‘Damned Ladies’, which referred to nine separate opera heroines.

Rufus Wainwright didn’t chart internationally, though it did make No.24 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart for new artists. More importantly, it announced Wainwright as a creative force to be reckoned with, bestowing him with Rolling Stone’s prestigious ‘Best New Artist’ award for 1998 and a nomination at Canada’s Juno Awards. Elsewhere, Wainwright – who was openly gay himself – received recognition from the Gay & Lesbian American Awards, winning their GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Album of 1998.

With his star in the ascendency, Wainwright promoted his album, touring with John Lennon ’s son Sean and headlining his own tour of North America, in March 1999. He then returned to New York, temporarily settling at the city’s notorious Chelsea Hotel: formerly home to artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Charles Bukowski, and the place where Sid Vicious’ girlfriend Nancy Spungen had notoriously been murdered late in 1978.

Wainwright wrote most of the songs for his next album while ensconced at the Chelsea. Produced mostly by his old Montreal collaborator, Pierre Marchand, and released in June 2001, the resulting Poses was a rather more approachable, radio-friendly LP. Wainwright’s neo-operatic tenor was still in full effect, but many of the tracks had relatively poppy arrangements and even utilised modern studio tricks such as drum loops, though there was still room for idiosyncratic tunes such as the Spaghetti Western-style ‘Greek Song’ and a neat cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s ‘One Man Guy’, performed by Rufus alongside his sister Martha and Richard and Linda Thompson’s son Teddy.

Poses also put up a stronger commercial performance than its predecessor. It rose to No.117 on the US Billboard 200; topped the Billboard Heatseekers chart; and sold well in Canada, where it was eventually certified gold. Wainwright again toured heavily to promote the album throughout 2001-02, playing headlining tours in North America and supporting prestigious artists such as Sting and Tori Amos .

2003 found Wainwright edging ever closer to mainstream acceptance. He had a cameo in an episode of popular, satirical UK sitcom Absolutely Fabulous and sang alongside Antony Hegarty, of Antony & The Johnsons, for fashion designer Zaldy Goco’s spring collection. He also laid down enough material at highly productive sessions helmed by producer Marius de Vries ( Björk ; Massive Attack ; David Bowie ) for more than two full albums.

The first of these, Want One , was released in September 2003. A restlessly creative set of lush, richly textured songs, it included vocal contributions from Martha Wainwright and Linda Thompson, and featured songs of epic proportions (‘Go Or Go Ahead’; the opulent, rock opera-style ‘14th Street’) and gentler, understated numbers such as ‘Vibrate’ and ‘Natasha’, which was written for – and about – Wainwright’s troubled actress friend, Natasha Lyonne. Performance-wise, Want One  again improved upon Poses , climbing to No.60 on the US Billboard 200 and earning a gold certification in the UK. The album also attracted sustained critical acclaim, earning Wainwright another GLAAD Media Award and a nomination for the 2004 Shortlist Prize.

Released by Geffen, Want Two was drawn from tracks from the same sessions with Marius de Vries. First appearing in November 2004, the album peaked at No.103 on the Billboard 200 and at an impressive No.21 in the UK, where it also earned a silver certification. Impeccably scored, with lush strings, horn sections and celestial choirs all featuring, Want Two was an ambitious if slightly more introspective sister act which included cameos from Antony Hegarty (duetting with Wainwright on ‘Old Whore’s Diet’) and Rufus’ mum, Kate McGarrigle, who sang with her sister Anna on ‘Hometown Waltz’.

Want One  and Want Two  were subsequently repackaged as Want and re-released in November 2005 to coincide with Wainwright’s highly anticipated UK tour, which – with immaculate timing – was pencilled in after he’d turned in major vocal contributions to two highly acclaimed releases, Antony & The Johnsons’ Mercury Music Prize-winning I Am A Bird Now and Burt Bacharach’s At This Time.

Issued through Geffen in May 2007, Wainwright’s fifth studio album, Release The Stars , proved to be his major mainstream breakthrough. Co-produced by Marius de Vries and Andy Bradfield, it included cameos from Richard Thompson, Joan Wasser and Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant, and it was sequenced from sessions in studios in London, New York and at Saal 4 –formerly the famous Hansa Tonstudio – in Berlin. (The latter city clearly got under Wainwright’s skin as a couple of album’s most memorable cuts, ‘Tiergarten’ and ‘Sansoucci’, relate to famous places in and around Berlin.)

Sonically, Release The Stars was again long on ambition. Full of widescreen, baroque-pop operas and awash with lush orchestration, it was a striking collection featuring swooping numbers such as ‘Nobody’s Off The Hook’, but also unlikely departures the likes of ‘Going To A Town’ (with its atypically angry critique of the George W Bush administration) and the swaggering, T.Rex -like glam-pop of ‘Between My Legs’.

Release The Stars  wowed the critics – and fans responded in kind, sending the album to No.23 on the US Billboard 200 and to a giddy No.2 on the UK Top 40. The album also had legs across the rest of the globe, where it charted in 13 different territories and eventually earned gold certifications in the UK and Canada. In support of the record, Wainwright embarked on an extensive world tour, which took in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania before winding down with a triumphant homecoming show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2008.

Released while he was still on tour in December 2007, Wainwright’s next LP was a live album, Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall . Taken from two sold-out 2006 shows at the legendary New York venue where Wainwright and a 36-piece orchestra performed his heroine Judy Garland’s entire setlist from her much-vaunted show at Carnegie Hall on 23 April 1961, Rufus Does Judy … surprisingly only made No.171 on the US Billboard 200, but it was a hot ticket critically and it was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

The cancer-related death of Wainwright’s mother, Kate McGarrigle, hung heavily over Rufus’ next studio LP, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu , his debut for Decca, which was released in March 2010. Eschewing the ornate orchestration present on much of his previous work, All Days… featured a haunting, deeply personal set of songs performed by Wainwright alone at the piano. It included impressionistic, classical-style readings of three Shakespeare sonnets (‘Sonnet 10’, ‘Sonnet 20’ and ‘Sonnet 43’), as well as stark, but emotional, compositions such as ‘Sad With What I Have’ and the slow, dirge-like ‘Zebulon’, which referred to his mother’s illness and her last days.

All Days… failed to match up to Release The Stars ’ stellar performance, though it did climb to a highly respectable No.21 on the UK Top 40, as well as to No.75 on the US Billboard 200. Wainwright also attracted a glut of positive critical notices when he toured the album solo during 2010, sometimes playing the tracks from the new album in one continuous song cycle.

After the deeply introspective All The Days… Wainwright’s next album, Out Of The Game , released in April 2012, found him hooking up with in-demand production wunderkind Mark Ronson, famous for helming Grammy-winning albums by the likes of Adele and Amy Winehouse . Between them, Wainwright and Ronson concocted arguably the poppiest LP yet to be stamped with Rufus Wainwright’s name, taking in everything from the Todd Rundgren-esque titular song to disco-flavoured, Giorgio Moroder-esque tunes such as ‘Barbara’ and ‘Bitter Tears’. The album divided critics, but once again Wainwright’s loyal fanbase were happy to indulge their versatile hero’s whims: Out Of The Game  again performed strongly on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at No.35 on the US Billboard 200 and rising to No.5 in the UK.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Rufus Wainwright’s most recent album release (through Deutsche Grammophon) was September 2015’s Prima Donna : a double-vinyl issue of the opera he co-composed to a French-language libretto he’d co-authored with Bernadette Colomine in 2009. He’s also completed a second opera, Hadrian, which is scheduled to premiere, but reputedly not until 2018.

How this diversion into the world of classical music will impact upon Wainwright’s future pop career is as yet unclear, though, in the meantime, connoisseurs keen to invest wholesale in Rufus Wainwright’s magnificent, chameleonic career are advised to seek out the limited edition House Of Rufus : a 19-CD Universal Music-sponsored box set, which comes encased in a red velvet-covered book and includes all his studio albums (bar Out Of The Game ).

Words: Tim Peacock

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Music | Rufus Wainwright gives himself the most amazing…

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And the singer-songwriter is marking the occasion with the release of “Folkocracy,” a new 15-song set featuring contributions from Brandi Carlile, John Legend, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Scherzinger, Chaka Khan, Andrew Bird, ANOHNI, Susanna Hoffs, Van Dyke Parks, Madison Cunningham and other artists.

“The guests on the album are all people whose music and voices I have admired for years,” says Wainwright, who is known for such acclaimed efforts as 2001’s “Poses” and 2003’s “Want One.” “Having them on the album is a bit like a birthday present to myself.”

The new album, which leans into Wainwright’s folk roots as the child of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, is due out June 2 — the same day he launches his tour with a star-studded show featuring Khan, Cunningham, Hoffs and other special guests at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Wainwright also performs — alas, without the special guests — June 3 at the Golden State Theatre in Monterey and June 4 at the Blue Note Napa Summer Sessions at the Meritage Resort.

Visit rufuswainwright.com for details on all shows.

Wainwright recently took the time to talk with us about all thing “Folkocracy.”

Q: Happy early bday, Rufus. How did the thought of reaching the half-century mark influence the type of album you wanted to make with “Folkocracy”?

A: It actually didn’t really occur to me at all until recently. It is more kismet. But certainly ending the album with a song that all my family is featured on is symbolic for my terrestrial journey.

I had been asked to do a covers album for a long time. I guess people like it when I cover other songs. So I thought why not do a folk album and return to my roots, to songs I heard as a kid and sang with my parents, mainly my mom and aunt on folk festivals in the summers. My first crib was basically a guitar case on the side of a stage, so folk music basically came with mother’s milk.

Q: Talk to me about the guest list for this party. What was it like working with Chaka Khan, David Byrne, etc?

A: The album is not a duet’s album per se. Folk music is all about singing together so, in a way, for each song we put our ideal cast list together.

Q: Perhaps my favorite song on the new album is “Heading for Home.” John Legend’s voice melds so nicely with yours. Talk to me specifically about recording that song. Was it just electric?

A: John is an incredible singer and it only took us a few takes to get it right. We recorded all instruments live except for the strings. Those were added by Rob Moose later. We actually had John and Brandi Carlile in the studio on the first day and recorded both songs in a matter of hours.

Brandi is also incredibly musical and professional and it is just so easy to sing with her (on the song “Down in the Willow Garden”).

There is a joyfulness in John’s voice and also performance. He smiles when he sings which is incredibly beautiful. It was very fulfilling to sing with someone like him.

Q: The arrangement on “Heading for Home” is just wonderful, with a string section meshing so well with the banjo. Is that your mom Kate’s famed banjo on the track? I understand it’s used on the album.

A: I think it might have been the first time that John recorded with a banjo? It is actually not Kate’s banjo on that song but Patrick Sauber is playing the banjo. Kate’s banjo can be heard on “Wild Mountain Thyme.” Chaim Tannenbaum, who played in my mother’s band, plays it and sings a verse as well.

Q: Who are some of the acts that you would like to work with in the future?

A: I really love everyone who is on the album and Brandi and I certainly have a good chemistry going and I think our voices work very well. I also love Madison Cunningham’s voice — who, of course, won the folk Grammy last year for her album “Revealer.” Her guitar playing is all over the album.

I recently did a podcast with Norah Jones and singing with her is always a huge thrill. I asked Annie Lennox to do a song with me for the album but she was on a sabbatical at the time we recorded the album. I have been such a huge fan since I was a kid. And then there is Bjork, who I admire greatly as an artist, a human being, a performer and singer. She is simply the real deal and full package.

Q: What was it like going from having just done a Judy Garland album (2022’s “Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios”) to handling an album of folk songs?

A: I think one thing always informs the other. The Judy album we did for her 100th birthday was a product of the live-streamed show we did from Capitol Studios which was the final show in my Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective where I sang all my studio albums to one special guest. It was a thrill to sing the entire Judy album to Renee Zellweger, of course, at Capitol Studios. I feel like through singing all the Judy material, I have become a much better singer and that certainly helps with anything and especially folk.

Q: You are certainly no stranger to covering other songwriters’ material. But what’s it like when you hear your own tunes covered by other artists?

A: It really depends. I do enjoy other people singing my songs quite a lot but the biggest thrill I have to say was to hear George Michael, arguably one of the greatest singers of all time, cover my song “Going to a Town.”

Q: My favorite Rufus Wainwright cover comes courtesy of jazz great Dave Douglas. Have you heard Douglas’ version of “Poses”? I’m guessing as a songwriter it must be very satisfying to hear your song translate so well into an instrumental number.

A: Yes, absolutely. I was very flattered. Of course, you cannot turn every song into an instrumental version. The music has to be pretty powerful.

Q: You are such a versatile vocalist. Do you feel like you have a bit of a restless muse? Or how else to explain a discography that ranges from Shakespearean sonnets to the lush pop of, say, the “Poses” album?

A: I don’t really draw distinctions between musical genres so much. I always look for a beautiful melody and they can be found in all genres.

Q: There must be something special about revisiting your family roots and doing an album of folk music.

A: Yes, there is. It connected me back to my childhood and being a father now to a 12-year-old daughter gives that whole idea of looking back also a forward thinking movement. I love the time where families would come together to sing music and I hope that this album instills that desire or dream in people.

Q: What does the title of the album mean to you?

A: Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys actually coined that phrase when we did a tribute to my mother Kate McGarrigle as part of Richard Thompson’s Melt Down Festival in London. Of course the Thompsons are a Folkocracy as well. In Spain some of the articles actually called it “Folkocrazy” which I think is quite funny as well.

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Rufus Wainwright

Saturday, september 30, 2023 7:30pm, event description.

This fall, the Louisville Orchestra, in partnership with Louisville Public Media,  is delighted to present Rufus Wainwright: Want Symphonic at the Louisville Palace. Wainwright will perform a large selection of songs from both his “Want One” album from 2003 and “Want Two” album from 2004.

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624 W. Main, Suite 400, Louisville KY 40202 + 502.587.8681 + [email protected]

• Creators Corps

Discography

Unfollow the Rules (The Paramour Sessions; Live)

Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta

Rufus Does Judy At Capitol Studios

Unfollow The Rules

Take All My Loves

Prima Donna

Live From The Artists Den

Vibrate: The Best Of Rufus Wainwright

Out Of The Game

House Of Rufus

All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu

Milwaukee At Last!!!

Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall

Release The Stars

Rufus Wainwright

For more information on Hadrian please contact Jorn Weisbrodt at [email protected]

For the music please contact Wise Music [email protected]

For booking please contact Sophie Hossenlop [email protected]

Meryl Streep to Serve as Narrator for Rufus Wainwright's Dream Requiem

The work will receive its world premiere on 14th June in Paris.

The iconic American screen actress and recipient of the Palme d’Or d’honneur at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is the narrator in Rufus Wainwright ’s Dream Requiem, which receives its world premiere on 14th June in Paris. The Chœur de Radio France, Maîtrise de Radio France and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France are conducted by Mikko Franck.

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The three-­time Oscar winner and nine-­time Golden Globe winner will perform in Rufus Wainwright ’s new work in Paris on Friday 14th June. The premiere takes place at 20:00 at the Auditorium de Radio France with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Maîtrise de Radio France and the Choeur de Radio France, conducted by the orchestra’s music director Mikko Franck. Streep will read Lord Byron ’s poem ‘Darkness’, written in July 1816.

Introducing the Dream Requiem, Rufus Wainwright writes: “The music speaks of death, but I wanted it to be inspiring and full of hope at the same time. The work combines two soundworlds: The Latin Requiem text is sung by a large mixed choir, children's choir and soprano soloist while the Byron text ‘Darkness’, which describes an environmental catastrophe, is spoken by a narrator. Dream Requiem was conceived during the COVID­19 pandemic and is also about the people we have lost during that crisis, for the loss of human connection that we all experienced.

"Like probably the rest of the world, I have admired Meryl Streep ever since I saw the first movie with her. I have had the pleasure of getting to know her personally over the last few years and apart from being the most incredible actress, she is also one of the most warm­ hearted human beings I know. To have her be part of the world creation of the Dream Requiem is an honour beyond anything I could have hoped for. Thank you, Meryl, for trusting me and giving your incomparable voice, heart and spirit to this piece."

Dream Requiem stems from two creative and musical ideas which matured in parallel in Rufus Wainwright ’s mind and which were brought together in 2020 by two events of dramatic consequence: the COVID­19 pandemic and the California wildfires.

Rufus Wainwright ’s fascination for the Requiem as a form goes back to his early teenage years, when he first heard Giuseppe Verdi ’s setting of the Mass for the dead. The experience transformed him as a human being and pointed the way for him as an artist. Opera became his ‘secret weapon’ as a singer­songwriter and he has composed two operas of his own: Prima Donna and Hadrian.

For Wainwright, writing a Requiem at the time of COVID was both highly stimulating and strikingly relevant: “A Requiem for the people we have lost in this crisis, for the past from which we are cut off and for the future which we do not yet know how to connect to, a Requiem for the human touch, togetherness and the human voice which all had become dangerous and contagious during the pandemic.”

Recognising the recent rise in the incidence of natural catastrophes, he combines the Latin text of the Mass with Lord Byron ’s apocalyptic poem ‘Darkness’, written after the 1815 eruption of the volcano Mount Tambora, located in what is now Indonesia. The subsequent global dispersion of ash gave rise to the so­called Year Without a Summer.

The event will be broadc ast live on France Musique and on the France Musique website and ARTE Concert. The concert will be recorded for release in Autumn 2024 by Warner Classics/Erato.

For more information, visit HERE  

Photo credit:  Brigitte Lacombe

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