Prima Donna (opera)

Prima Donna is an opera in two acts with music by Rufus Wainwright to a French language libretto by Wainwright and Bernadette Colomine.[1][2][3] The opera premiered at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, on 10 July 2009 at the Manchester International Festival.[4][5]

For the lead female singer in an opera company, see Prima donna.

Prima Donna
Opera by Rufus Wainwright
Librettist
  • Bernadette Colomine
  • Rufus Wainwright
LanguageFrench
Premiere
July 2009
Manchester International Festival, United Kingdom

Development
Wainwright at the Metropolitan Opera opening in 2008

Originally, Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb and André Bishop, artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), commissioned this opera for eventual presentation in New York City.[6] By August 2008, although Wainwright had made progress on the composition,[7][8] the Metropolitan Opera withdrew its support of the commission, reportedly because of disagreement with Wainwright over his choice to present the opera in French, whilst the Metropolitan Opera and LCT insisted on English for the language of the libretto.[3] According to Gelb, "presenting a new opera that is not in English at the Met, when it could be in English, is an immediate impediment". While Wainwright was initially open to the idea of translating the text into English, he said the French became "too entrenched in the music". In addition, the Met would not be able to premiere Prima Donna earlier than the 2014 season, and Wainwright insisted he "wanted to get it out as soon as possible".[3] In October 2008, Opera North, the Manchester International Festival, Melbourne Festival Australia and Luminato Festival Toronto announced their plans for joint presentation of the opera, with conductor Pierre-André Valade, director Daniel Kramer, designer Antony McDonald, and Janis Kelly performing the lead role alongside Rebecca Bottone, William Joyner and Jonathan Summers.[9] With a workshop scheduled for January 2009, Wainwright revealed in a Brazilian TV show interview that his opera was to premiere in Manchester, United Kingdom in July 2009.[10]

In December 2009, Sundance Channel aired a 90-minute documentary, directed by George Scott, titled Prima Donna spotlighting the history of Wainwright's career and his attempt to "create classical opera from scratch".[11]

Further performances

Following the Manchester premiere, London performances at Sadler's Wells Theatre were held in April 2010.[12] The North American premiere took place June 2010 at the Luminato festival in Toronto, with Wainwright present.[13] Excerpts from Prima Donna were first performed in the US on September 3, 2010 by the Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar with Kelly as Régine and Megan Marie Hart as Marie at the openening event of the Time-Based Art Festival in Portland.[14][15] Prima Donna had its New York City debut on February 19, 2012, with the New York City Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[16]

In March 2014, Wainwright began raising funds to record a two-disc album recording of the opera. Deutsche Grammophon released this album in 2015.

Main article: Prima Donna: A Symphonic Visual Concert

In 2015, Wainwright launched a new version of a scene from the opera, accompanied by a film directed by Francesco Vezzoli, featuring Cindy Sherman as the Prima Donna.[17] This version was presented at the 2017 Adelaide Festival with Jacqueline Dark in the title role.[18]

For a Royal Swedish Opera production of the opera in October and November 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, conductor Jayce John Ogren and Wainwright prepared a version of the opera with a reduced orchestra, of 28 musicians; this version premiered on October 10, 2020, in Stockholm.[19]

Roles
Roles, voice types, premiere casts
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 10 July 2009
Conductor: Pierre-André Valade[20]
Régine Saint Laurent, an operatic soprano soprano Janis Kelly
Marie, her maid soprano Rebecca Bottone
Philippe, her butler baritone Jonathan Summers
André Le Tourner, a journalist tenor William Joyner

Synopsis
Place: The Paris apartment of opera soprano Régine Saint Laurent
Time: Bastille Day, 1970

The opera soprano Régine Saint Laurent has been preparing for a return to performance after an absence of 6 years. Her last performance was in an opera composed for her, Aliénor d'Aquitaine. The first performance was a success, and a recording of the premiere was released commercially. However, she lost her voice during a key aria at a subsequent performance, and has not sung professionally in public since. Philippe, her butler, has encouraged her comeback, which includes an interview scheduled for that day.

A journalist and aspiring singer, André Le Tourner, arrives to conduct the interview. Marie, the new maid, is suspicious of André, but Philippe dismisses Marie's concerns. Régine notices a great resemblance between André and the tenor who sang during the premiere production of Aliénor d'Aquitaine. André has brought the score of Aliénor d'Aquitaine with him. Régine and André develop a mutual infatuation, and sing selections from the opera at the piano. Régine begins to relive both the premiere of Aliénor d'Aquitaine and the moment of her later performance breakdown. In the process, she comes to a resolution on her intended comeback.

References
  1. Barnes, Lindsay (August 9, 2007). "Rueful Rufus: Wainwright savors life's battles". The Hook. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 9, 2007.
  2. Christiansen, Rupert (October 9, 2008). "Rufus Wainwright reveals his Wagnerian side". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  3. Wakin, Daniel J. (August 27, 2008). "Pop Singer Drops Plan to Compose for the Met". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  4. Alfred Hickling (July 12, 2009). "Prima Donna (Palace, Manchester)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  5. Anthony Tommasini (July 12, 2009). "The Diva Has Issues". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. Wakin, Daniel J. (July 3, 2007). "Met Opera's Commissions Show Signs of Progress". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. Gabel, Wayne (December 27, 2007). "Always Thinking Big". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on January 10, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  8. Patterson, Penny (February 28, 2008). "The Eldest of the Wainwright Brood Talks Writing, Touring, and Saving the Planet". Santa Barbara Independent. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  9. Higgins, Charlotte (October 9, 2008). "From pop to opera: petrified Rufus Wainwright embraces 'the dark religion'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  10. Bourne, Dianne (August 19, 2008). "Diary: Rufus's small compliment". Manchester Evening News. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  11. Stuever, Hank (December 21, 2009). "Review of Prima Donna, with Rufus Wainwright, on Sundance". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  12. Andrew Clements (April 13, 2010). "Prima Donna". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  13. "Prima Donna opens in Toronto". CBC Arts. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  14. "Rufus Wainwright Performs Selections from Prima Donna in Concert with Oregon Symphony". eamdc.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  15. Noble, Charles (September 10, 2010). "Bending Genres or Just Producing Good Art?". nobleviola.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  16. Zachary Woolfe (February 20, 2012). "A Diva Haunted by Fame and Failure". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  17. Derek Blasberg (April 24, 2015). "Rufus Wainwright Gives Opera a Face-lift". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  18. Tracey Korsten (March 19, 2017). "Festival Review: Prima Donna/Rufus Does Judy". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  19. "Prima Donna by Rufus Wainwright takes to the stage in Stockholm". Wise Music Classical. November 14, 2020. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  20. "Manchester International Festival Events – Prima Donna". Manchester International Festival. 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
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