Repertoire

Rufus Wainwright: Dream Requiem (2025). Work commissioned by Radio France, The Royal Ballet, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Palau de la Música Catalana, L’Auditori, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Helsinki Festival, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Premiere in Spain.

ARTISTS

Ludovic Morlot, conductor
Rufus Wainwright, narrator
Anna Prohaska, soprano
Orfeó Català (Pablo Larraz, conductor; Elisenda Carrasco, choir rehearsal conductor)
Cor Infantil de l’Orfeó Català (Glòria Coma i Pedrals, conductor)
Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (OBC)

Programme

The multifaceted nature of the Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, as well as his passion for classical music and opera, is brought to the fore in his Dream Requiem. It was first performed in Paris in 2024 under the baton of Mikko Franck, with the participation of the soprano Anna Prohaska. This concert at the Palau de la Música Catalana marks the first time the piece will be performed in Spain. In addition to the featured soloist, Ludovic Morlot will conduct the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by the Orfeó Català and the Children’s Choir of the Orfeó Català. The concert will be narrated by Rufus Wainwright.

This is a mournful composition born out of the pandemic, which uses texts by Byron (the apocalyptic poem Darkness) and tradition to explore grief experiences in depth and pave the way for hope. The epithet used in the title of this requiem (Dream) attempts to banish nightmares and transform consciousness into a way of life where dreaming is once again possible. After explaining how Verdi’s Requiem had an impact on him, Wainwright has recently established himself in classical and lyrical composition, simultaneously with his career as a pop icon, by creating the operas Prima Donna and Hadrian.