Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973 in Rhinebeck , New York ) is a Canadian - American singer-songwriter and composer . He has recorded seven studio albums and several songs for film soundtracks, composed two classical operas and set Shakespeare sonnets to music for a play by the director Robert Wilson .
Life
Rufus Wainwright was the first child of folk musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle . His younger sister Martha , born in 1976, is also a musician. Wainwright grew up bilingual with his mother and sister in Montreal, France, after their parents divorced .
At a concert in the Berlin Passionskirche , Wainwright met his partner, the Berlin theater producer Jörn Weisbrodt . The two live together in New York and got engaged in late 2010. The wedding took place on August 23, 2012 in Montauk, New York.
Wainwright's daughter was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles. The mother is Lorca Cohen, the daughter of Leonard Cohen .
Career
Beginnings
Wainwright began playing the piano at the age of six. At 13, he toured with his three years younger sister Martha, mother, and aunt Anna as The McGarrigle Sisters and Family . He briefly attended McGill University , where he studied both classical piano and "rock" piano. At the age of 14 he began to be interested in operas. He was also enthusiastic about artists such as Édith Piaf , Al Jolson and Judy Garland .
For his song I'm a-runnin ' , which was used in the film Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveler , he was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song; In 1990 he was nominated for a Juno Award as Most Promising Male Vocalist .
After performing regularly in clubs in Montreal, Wainwright produced several demos. One of these was forwarded by Van Dyke Parks to DreamWorks representative Lenny Waronker . Rufus Wainwright was signed by DreamWorks in January 1996. He began recording his debut album in Los Angeles in the fall of the same year.
Career as a singer-songwriter
“Rufus Wainwright” was released in May 1998. It received positive reviews and was voted one of the best albums of the year on Rolling Stone . The same happened to his second album Poses , which came out in June 2001. He wrote the songs for the latter during a six-month stay at the Chelsea Hotel in New York .
Wainwright became known to a wider North American audience when he and his band opened for Tori Amos in 2001/02 . He then toured as the main act, but also opened for Sting and Keane and performed with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004 .
In 2003 and 2004 the two albums Want One and Want Two were released , the material of which was recorded during the same period.
On May 15, 2007, Geffen released his fifth album entitled Release the Stars . Wainwright recorded the songs for this album in Berlin in the summer of 2006 under the supervision of Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant .
His sixth studio album, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu , was released on April 12, 2010. It contains twelve songs with pure piano accompaniment, including three of his sonnets and the final aria of his opera Prima Donna .
In July 2011 the box set House of Rufus was released , which includes 13 CDs and six DVDs. In addition to his six studio albums, it includes his original demos, previously unreleased material and collaborations with friends and family. The sales launch of the box set was accompanied by five concerts in London's Royal Opera House, which took place from July 18, 2011 to July 23, 2011.
Out of the Game , which was produced by Mark Ronson , was released in April 2012. The album reached number 22 on the German album charts, Wainwright's best-ever placement there. During the accompanying tour he performed on May 17, 2012 as part of the concert series "Live from the Artists Den" at the Church of the Ascension in New York. The concert was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and CD in March 2014.
Also in March 2014, Wainwright's first “best of” album Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright was released .
After a few albums that could be assigned to classical music, Unfollow the Rules was released in July 2020 , which Wainwright describes, according to ByteFM, as "the beginning of a second act of his career" in which "all the dispersed elements of his career converge" ".
subjects
Wainwright often performs solo in his concerts, playing the piano and guitar. But he also tours with a band. In his studio recordings, however, various instruments up to and including a large orchestra are used.
Wainwright's continued enthusiasm for opera is reflected in the songs. The lyrics are full of allusions to operas, literature and pop culture. In the play Barcelona a short text passage from the opera Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi appears . Some of his pieces have been described as Popera (Pop Opera) or Baroque Pop .
At 14, Wainwright first confessed to his homosexuality , which is also reflected in his music. He is interested in gay cultural tradition in all artistic areas that he would like to build on. So he relates u. a. on Oscar Wilde , Gertrude Stein , Evelyn Waugh and Jean Cocteau .
Wainwright's album Want Two (2004) contains political allusions against the Iraq war and the homophobia of the US Republicans .
Other work
In 2002, Wainwright had guest roles on the sitcoms Absolutely Fabulous and Frasier . In 2004 there was a brief appearance with his father and sister in Martin Scorsese's film The Aviator . In the same year he took on a small role in Chris Terrio's feature film Heights .
On June 14th and 15th, 2006, Wainwright gave a concert in New York's legendary Carnegie Hall in honor of gay icon Judy Garland . The concert resembled Judy Garland's famous 1961 Carnegie Hall concert from the setlist down to the smallest detail. At this concert Rufus Wainwright was accompanied by his mother Kate McGarrigle , his sister Martha Wainwright and Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft , among others . The original concert from 1961 was attended by his paternal grandparents personally.
In 2008 Wainwright designed an item of clothing for H&M in the FASHION against AIDS collection .
In 2009 he composed the music for Robert Wilson's “Shakespeare's Sonnets” at the Berliner Ensemble .
Wainwright composed his first opera , Prima Donna , which deals with a day from the life of an aging opera singer. In 2006 he was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera in cooperation with the Lincoln Center Theater in New York . The libretto was written in French by Wainwright and a friend. After disagreements over the language of the opera, Wainwright and the Met ended their collaboration, and the opera finally premiered at the 2009 Manchester International Festival . In the spring of 2012, Prima Donna was finally performed in New York at the New York City Opera. In March 2014, Wainwright launched a successful campaign on Pledge Music to fund the recording of his first opera with the BBC Symphony Orchestra . The CD was released by Deutsche Grammophon in September 2015 .
With David Byrne he recorded a duet for tenor and baritone by Georges Bizet .
His second opera Hadrian premiered for the Canadian Opera Company's 2018 season. The libretto was written by the Canadian playwright Daniel MacI .
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1998 | Rufus Wainwright | - | - | - |
UK-  |
- |
First published: May 19, 1998
|
| 2001 | Poses | - | - | - |
UK- |
US117 (1 week) US |
First published: June 5, 2001
|
| 2003 | Want one | - | - | - |
UK88  (1 week)UK |
US60 (4 weeks) US |
First published: September 23, 2003
|
| 2004 | Want Two | - | - | - |
UK21st (6 weeks)UK |
US103 (1 week) US |
First published: November 16, 2004
|
| 2007 | Release the stars |
DE45 (2 weeks) DE |
AT72 (1 week) AT |
- |
UK2 (7 weeks)UK |
US23 (5 weeks) US |
First published: May 15, 2007
|
| 2010 | All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu | - |
AT75 (1 week) AT |
- |
UK21 (2 weeks) UK |
US75 (1 week) US |
First published: March 23, 2010
|
| 2012 | Out of the game |
DE22 (2 weeks) DE |
AT32 (2 weeks) AT |
CH59 (1 week) CH |
UK5 (3 weeks) UK |
US35 (3 weeks) US |
First published: April 20, 2012
|
| 2015 | Great Donna | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: September 21, 2015
recording of his first opera. |
| 2016 | Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: April 22, 2016
|
| 2020 | Unfollow the rules |
DE28 (1 week) DE |
AT29 (... weeks) AT |
CH10 (1 week) CH |
UK27 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: July 10, 2020
|
More albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 2005 | Want | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: November 27, 2005
compilation |
| 2007 | Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall | - | - | - | - |
US171 (1 week) US |
First release: December 4th, 2007
live album |
| 2009 | Milwaukee at Last !!! | - | - | - | - | - |
First release: September 22nd, 2009
live album |
| 2011 | House of Rufus | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: July 18, 2011
compilation |
| 2014 | Vibrate: The Best of | - | - | - |
UK39 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: February 28, 2014
compilation |
| Live from the Artists Den | - | - | - | - | - |
First release: March 3rd, 2014
live album |
|
EPs
| year | title | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Waiting for a want | First published: June 29, 2004 |
| 2005 | Alright, Already: Live in Montréal | First published: March 15, 2005 |
| 2007 | Zoo | First published: October 29, 2007 |
Video albums
| year | title | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Live at the Fillmore | First published: November 16, 2004 |
| 2005 | All I want | First published: April 8, 2005 |
| 2007 | Live from the London Palladium | First published: December 3, 2007 |
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 2004 | I Don't Know What It Is Want One |
- | - | - |
UK74 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: July 26, 2004
|
| 2007 | Going to a Town Release the Stars |
- | - | - |
UK54 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: April 3, 2007
|
|
Hallelujah Shrek (OST) |
- | - | - |
UK97 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: May 2007
|
|
Individual contributions
- 1989: I'm Running - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveler
- 1997: Le Roi D'Ys and On the Banks of the Wabash - Soundtrack for the feature film The Myth of Fingerprints
- 1998: Schooldays, What'll I Do? , Heartburn , Talk to Me of Mendocino , Goodnight Sweetheart and background vocals on various other tracks - The McGarrigle Hour
- 1999: Instant Pleasure - Soundtrack for the feature film Big Daddy
- 2001: Complainte de la Butte - Soundtrack for the feature film Moulin Rouge!
- 2001: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother - Soundtrack for the feature film Zoolander
- 2002: Across the Universe - Soundtrack for the feature film Ich bin Sam
- 2002: When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes - When Love Speaks
- 2002: Across the Universe (with Moby and Sean Lennon ), "This Boy" (with Sean Lennon) - Come Together - A night for John Lennon 's words and music
- 2003: It's Only a Paper Moon and I Wonder What Became of Me - Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen
- 2004: I Eat Dinner (with Dido ) - soundtrack for the film Bridget Jones - On the Edge of Wahnsinns
- 2004: I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise - Soundtrack for the feature film Aviator
- 2005: King of the Road (with Teddy Thompson ) and "The Maker Makes" - soundtrack for the movie Brokeback Mountain
- 2005: Peach Trees - soundtrack for the film Couchgeflüster
- 2005: Go Ask Shakespeare - At This Time (Burt Bacharach album)
- 2008: Albatross ( Judy Collins Cover) - Born to the Breed: A tribute to Judy Collins
- 2009: Wonderful / Song For Children (cover by Brian Wilsons Smile ) - compilation "War Child - Heroes Vol.1"
- 2011: Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais (Serge Gainsbourg cover) - From Gainsbourg to Lulu
- 2012: Instead of the Dead - compilation "Every Mother Counts 2012"
- 2012: Metaphorical Blanket - Any Day Now Soundtrack
- 2013: Swings Both Ways - Duet with Robbie Williams on the album of the same name
- 2016: Hotel Crazy - Duet with Robbie Williams on the album "The Heavy Entertainment Show"
Awards and nominations
- 1990 - nominated as "Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year"
- 1999 - "Best Alternative Album" for Rufus Wainwright
- 2002 - nominated as "Best Songwriter" for Poses , Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk and Gray Gardens
- 2002 - "Best Alternative Album" for Poses
- 2005 - Nominated as "Adult Alternative Album of the Year" for Want Two
- 2008 - nominated as "Adult Alternative Album of the Year" for Release the stars
- 2008 - nominated as “Songwriter of the Year” for Going to a town , Release the stars and Do I disappoint you
- 1989 - nominated as "Best Original Song" with I'm A Runnin '
Other:
- 1999 - “Outstanding Music Album” for Rufus Wainwright , GLAAD Media Awards
- 1999 - Debut Album of the Year, Gay / Lesbian American Music Awards
- 2002 - “Outstanding Music Album” for Poses , GLAAD Media Awards
- 2004 - "Outstanding Music Artist" for Want One , GLAAD Media Awards
- 2004 - nominated for the Shortlist Music Prize
- 2007 - Baloise Session Award: Musician's Musician Award
- 2008 - Stephen F. Kolzak Award, GLAAD Media Awards
- 2008 - “Outstanding Music Artist” for Release the Stars , GLAAD Media Awards
- 2008 - nominated as "Best International Male Solo Artist" at the Brit Awards
- 2006, 2008 - nominated as "Best International Male Artist" at the Meteor Awards
- 2008, 2010 - nominated as "Best Live Act", MOJO magazine
- 2009 - Nominated for "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" with "Rufus Does Judy At Carnagie Hall" at the Grammy Awards
Trivia
In the book Slam by Nick Hornby , the child of the main character is named after the artist.
literature
- Kirk Lake: There Will Be Rainbows. A Biography of Rufus Wainwright. Orion Publishing Group, London 2009, ISBN 0-7528-9838-8 .
Web links
- Rufus Wainwright in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Own web presence
- Own website (German)
- Recordings by Rufus Wainwright in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://kindred.stanford.edu/#/kin/full/none/none/I26695//
- ^ Vanityfair.com
- ↑ Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright marries his partner. August 24, 2012, accessed June 28, 2020 .
- ↑ rufuswainwright.com ( Memento from August 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ academy.ca ( Memento from October 10, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ There Will Be Rainbows. Page 84
- ↑ There Will Be Rainbows. Page 88
- ↑ There Will Be Rainbows. Page 133-137
- ↑ There Will Be Rainbows. Page 179
- ↑ rufuswainwright.com ( Memento from May 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from February 15, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ https://www.byte.fm/blog/redaktion/rufus-wainwright-unfollow-the-rules-album-der-woche-102454/
- ↑ INTERVIEW- Rueful Rufus: Wainwright savors life's battles. Retrieved June 28, 2020 (English).
- ↑ metoperafamily.org
- ^ Bernard Zuel: Rufus Wainwright. January 25, 2008, accessed June 28, 2020 .
- ^ Wainwright's first opera to get world premiere in UK. March 20, 2009, accessed June 28, 2020 .
- ↑ nycopera.com ( Memento from April 27, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Rufus Wainwright: Prima Donna: The Album on PledgeMusic. January 31, 2016, accessed June 28, 2020 .
- ↑ "I am Dr. Opera and Mr. Pop ”. In: falter.at. April 19, 2016, accessed June 28, 2020 .
- ↑ Why Rufus Wainwright is turning a Roman emperor into a COC opera . ( theglobeandmail.com [accessed June 28, 2020]).
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from October 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wainwright, Rufus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | McGarrigle Wainwright, Rufus |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian-American singer-songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1973 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rhinebeck , New York |