Rufus Wainwright to pen Met opera

Wainwright, who will take on the role of composer and librettist on the project, began writing after completing a tour of Judy Garland's songbook. The work, entitled Prima Donna, details a day in the life of an opera singer and will be written in French.

As the singer explained in Variety his inspiration came from 'the construct of the diva, from Maria Callas to Norma Desmond, and the movie Diva from the 1980s'.

Musically, we can apparently expect to hear at least a hint of Janácek's Junufa. Wainwright told the Daily Telegraph: 'One of the composers I'm using as a template is Janácek. His music is much more modern sounding than someone like Puccini, but also incredibly melodious.

'It was his first successful opera but he wrote it in his 50s, so it's a reminder of what's possible,' he added.

As the piece was only recently commissioned by the Met, official opening dates are yet to be announced.

www.rufuswainwright.com

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