Rufus Wainwright channels Puccini for new opera

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is known for navigating the border between classical and pop. Now his longtime obsession with opera has led him to write one of his own.

Wainwright composed the score and wrote French lyrics for his debut classical opera, "Prima Donna," which will have its North American premiere in June 2010 at the Luminato arts festival in Toronto.

Wainwright said "Prima Donna" contains elements of Puccini and Ravel, arias, duets and romantic melodies, but no hints of pop. Though the opera might seem to diverge from his usual multi-genre approach, it's actually a faithful homage to his musical upbringing.

"Opera is my religion," Wainwright told Billboard.com, noting that as a 14-year-old he became enchanted by the genre.

"That's all I could listen to, and that's all that I could comprehend. It gave me all that I needed at that time, and still does in many ways," he said.

"Writing this opera was as if I were writing a mass or a prayer to my gods. It was a very spiritual experience for me."

Wainwright added that "the whole (opera) arrived in one fell swoop. It was a complete vision. ... I knew that it would be written, and I knew that it would be successful, and I knew that somehow, mysteriously, it would rise."

Wainwright carried his composition from concept to production, but not without challenges and criticism. "A lot of people, especially in the classical music world, are appalled, whereas audiences love it," he said. "I think in opera, you need that outer relentless and implacable confidence in your work to get it done."

Wainwright will perform at the New York City Opera's opening night, November 5.

In the pop realm, he recently released the live album and DVD "Milwaukee at Last!!!" Wainwright worked with documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles to capture his performance with a seven-piece band at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"(Maysles) has a very relaxed approach. There weren't a lot of demands put on us by the crew," Wainwright said. "The footage has that feel -- that relaxed, free-flowing, cinema verite quality -- which he's so famous for."

Wainwright said that he and the longtime filmmaker share an attraction to out-of-the-ordinary aspects of life. "The people and the events that he's chosen to capture are really unique and unusual," he said. "That's sort of the story of my career -- I don't know many other pop musicians who have written a successful opera or who do Judy Garland concerts."

Wainwright's next project is a solo piano and voice record, in the works for a spring 2010 release.

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)