Wainwright's Prima Donna IS Anna Russell

by David NiceFriday, 09 April 2010

Those of us who shied away from the Manchester world premiere of Rufus Wainwright's first opera, Prima Donna, last year are biting our nails about the first London performance at Sadler's Wells Theatre on Monday. Fond as we are of some masterly songs on his albums, we wonder if he's boxing above his weight in indulging his love of opera... and in French, too (OK, he grew up speaking it, but even so, it's pretentious French for English-speaking audiences). This evening, Radio 3's In Tune featured an interview with our Rufus and a preview performance by top-notch soprano Janis Kelly of her stage heroine's final "aria".

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