American songwriter Rufus Wainwright has spoken about his love for opera, following the success of his producer last year.
Rufus Wainwright has always fostered a dramatic stage persona, so it came as little surprise to learn that the singer was planning to write an opera. Conducted in French, the show debuted in Manchester last year.
Receiving rave reviews, the production was an extremely brave move. Set to return to the staid world of the singer-songwriter, Rufus Wainwright recently spoke about the perception that opera is elitist.
“I think we could all be a bit more elitist” he told The Guardian. “There was a time when society offered a standard that you could always depend on – but the mad rush for commerce has decimated that. It’s up to the individual to say, ‘I want to read the better books, I want to listen to the finer music.'”
Elsewhere the singer also reflected on his early years. Rufus Wainwright recently lost his mother Kate McGarrigle and the performer is due to take part in a special concert dedicated to her life later this year.
A renowned songwriter herself, Rufus Wainwright revealed that he first visited the studio at just a few days old. “Legend has it that when my mother took me home from the hospital, she had to drop by her studio” he revealed.
“There was no crib there, so she put me in a guitar case.”
Rufus Wainwright is set to release his new studio album later this year.
