Rufus Wainwright Opera Premiering

03/23/09 3:41pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Rufus Wainwright's first opera, Prima Donna, will premiere in Manchester, England during the Manchester International Festival in July.

The opera was originally commissioned by New York's Metropolitan Opera, but was rejected by the company after Wainwright would not change the libretto from French to English.

According to Britain's The Independent newspaper, the opera, which is about a soprano returning to work after a six-year layoff, will be performed in two acts at Manchester's Palace Theatre.

"When I started writing the opera, it was in French, and it takes place in Paris," Wainwright told The Independent. "It made sense — I was brought up in Montreal and I can speak French. The music started to reflect the language. But the Met wanted to commission an American work."

A collaboration between Elbow and the Halle Orchestra will also be performed during the Manchester International Festival, as well as a full-length show from Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson. The fest will also feature performances from Antony And The Johnsons with the 35-piece Manchester Camerata, Steve Reich with Kraftwerk, and a tribute to late Factory Records founder Tony Wilson by the Durutti Column.

Wainwright will play these shows:

April 23 New Haven, CT @ Woolsey Hall
April 24 Great Barrington, MA @ The Mahaiwe Theatre
April 25 Harrisburg, PA @ Sunoco Performance Theater
April 29 Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues w/Lucy Wainwright
April 30 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
June 16 Paris, France @ Cite De La Musique
Aug. 14 Lyons, CO @ Bluegrass Ranch
Aug. 15 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen