InterviewARNHEM – From Prince to Wagner and from Paul Simon to Gluck; for thesecond time singer Rufus Wainwright is collaborating with the classical stringorchestra Amsterdam Sinfonietta. With his latest program, the ‘king of classicpop’ is touring the Netherlands this month, but first he celebrated theholidays in Berlin and on an Austrian track.
It takes quite some effort to get to speak to the singer; an appointment iscanceled due to a delayed flight and the next day a broken phone in his hotelthrows a spanner in the works. He says he’s had a little bit of traveling longdistances.
Yesterday they had five minutes to rehearse for a performance on the radio.Luckily it went well. After all, they are all experienced musicalprofessionals.
How are you now? “Good, I like being back in Europe. It’s nice to see the people of Sinfoniettaagain; that was a while ago. I enjoy working with them. They are very down-to-earth and there is nothing conservative about it. My family and I have a kindof two-generation love affair with the Netherlands; my mother, aunt and sisterperformed a lot, and my father still does.”
Just like in 2017, ‘Devils and Angels’ promises a mix between pop, jazz andclassical. What is it like to sing an aria from an opera? “It is a very challenging concert, let me put it this way. I’m a pop singer,that’s how my voice is trained. But singing opera music is a very goodexercise for the voice. Higher, lower, softer, louder, it makes your voicesupple. My favorite activity is discovering different kinds of music. Forexample, I also wrote two operas. As a composer it is then quite useful to beable to sing the arias yourself while composing.
Only I am and will of course remain a pop singer who also happens to be ableto sing very high and very low. I use a microphone, opera singers don’t. Idon’t have the ‘body’ to sing that loud. I should be trained in that and whyshould I do that?”
Quote >>> I don’t have the ‘body’ to sing that loud>> Rufus Wainwright
You were born in the US, grew up in Montreal, Canada and now you live inthe US again; do you feel more like an american or a canadian? “When I was in the States lived, I wanted to be in Canada and vice versa. Ialways wanted to be somewhere different from where I was. At this point in mylife I feel more American. There is a battle going on in that land betweengood and bad and I am ready to fight for the good.
The US is so powerful; you have no choice, you must join the battle now. It isimpossible not to be involved. I’m not really an activist, but I use my voice.Now, after the midterm elections, things are quiet for a while, but in 2024 atthe new elections I will get involved again. If things go wrong, I will moveback to Canada like crazy.”
Quote >>> I’m not really an activist, but I use my voice>> Rufus Wainwright
What are your plans for the future? “I would like to release an album of French chansons and tour in France oneday; speak French again, sing, eat. I also want to write a musical, forexample. That would fit perfectly into my life now: staying at home more withhusband and twelve-year-old daughter, composing alone and having other peopleperform. No more intercontinental flights.
During the past holidays, I had a nice rest in Berlin with my husband fromGermany. Then we went skiing in Austria. Our daughter was with her mother soit was just the two of us. Old-fashioned romantic. Now I am ready for the tourwith Sinfonietta.”
Rufus Wainwright can be seen together with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta in theParkzaal of Musis Arnhem (January 13), Zwolle (January 16) and Enschede(January 20). More info at sinfonietta.nl.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta
String orchestra Amsterdam Sinfonietta was founded in 1988 and now performsall over the world, with an innovative repertoire. With the annual concertseries Wider than classic the orchestra will collaborate with artists fromoutside the classical world, such as Jonathan Jeremiah, Typhoon and Wende. Atthe beginning of January it will be Rufus Wainwright’s turn for the secondtime, with the classic-popular program Devils and Angels.