Rufus Wainwright is a unique singer-songwriter and is one of the few pop musicians with the artistic credentials to be taken seriously in the classical world.
In May, Decca releases a comprehensive 90-minute documentary exploring Rufus Wainwrights life-long interest in opera, the composition of his first opera, Prima Donna, and following rehearsals of the work up to the opening night on 10 July 2009 at the Manchester International Festival.
The opera narrates the story of Rgine Saint Laurent (Janis Kelly), once the worlds most revered operatic soprano, who is preparing for her return to the stage after six years of silence. But in doing so, Rgine is forced to confront the ghosts of her past. Can she defeat the demons that destroyed her career, and emerge triumphantly once more into the spotlight?
The opera was received extremely well by press: A love song to opera (The Times), Disarmingly beautiful (New York Times), Thrilling (Manchester Evening News) and Breathtaking design, found The Guardian.
The DVD is an extended version of the BBCs Imagine documentary, first broadcast on BBC One in the summer of 2009 and includes extensive interview footage with Rufus, his parents, sister, boyfriend, Prima Donnas conductor and director, plus endorsements from Rene Fleming. The extra footage includes Wainwright singing the final Prima Donna aria at the piano and him singing Shakespeares Sonnet no.20.