To coincide with the launch of Rufus Wainwright’s debut opera – the Premiere of which is on Friday 10th July, 2009 at the Palace Theatre Manchester – Alan Yentob has followed Rufus for an Imagine special airing Tuesday 7th July at 22.35 on BBC One.

IMAGINE: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, PRIMA DONNA

More information:

In this Imagine, Alan Yentob explores the rapid rise of the most mercurial talent of the modern music scene, Rufus Wainwright. Rufus is a truly extraordinary singer and composer of some of the most sophisticated pop music and affecting lyrics of the last thirty years – a man who Elton John called the “best songwriter in the world”. The film both tells Rufus’s colourful story and follows his journey as he creates his very first opera, Prima Donna and he is plunged into the very midst of the classical world.

Opera has always been a great love of Rufus’s, but in this documentary Rufus reveals to Alan how he arrived at this point. He talks candidly about his background; the family of musical luminaries (father: Loudon Wainwright; mother Kate McGarrigle; sister Martha Wainwright), his troubled personal history with drugs and also the tensions that have informed his music.

It is the creation of the opera that provides the spine of the film. From the first workshop through to the run up to opening night, Imagine have captured the highs and lows as Rufus embarks on the mammoth task of creating his first opera. Alan finds out what it felt like being the outsider when all the more established opera colleagues ganged up against him and his co-librettist.

Alan Yentob catches up with Rufus in his childhood home in Montréal, in New York where he now lives and where he performs with his family for a Christmas special, and of course in Leeds and Manchester where the opera, Prima Donna, will make its bow. The film also contains footage of Rufus in Berlin where we see him creating his first classical work with avant garde director Robert Wilson, and performing in a solo show.

This is a unique insight into an artist at the height of his powers, and a snapshot of a star taking a leap into the unknown.

As well as interviews and special performances or songs old and new with Rufus himself, the film includes interviews with Kate McGarrigle, Loudon Wainwright III, Anna McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright and celebrated soprano Renée Fleming.

© Pixelboost/ Isis Productions Ltd. 2009

For more information, go to:

BBC One – Imagine ; Rufus Wainwright, Prima Donna – BBC One

Rufus Wainwright Official Website

Due to overwhelming demand by her devoted fans, Manhattan Records will make a CD/DVD of Sarah Brightman’s PBS special ‘Symphony – Live in Vienna’, available at retail for the first time on March 10, 2009.

The package features the best-selling British soprano’s spine-tingling performance at Vienna’s magnificent Stephansdome Cathedral on January 16th, 2008, in both audio and visual formats. ‘The Symphony – Live in Vienna’ television special debuted on PBS in March 2008 during the network’s spring pledge drive and aired throughout the month.

Sarah Brightman on amazon.com

Sarah Brightman on amazon.co.uk

Brightman chose one of Europe’s most majestic settings for this milestone concert event. Consecrated in 1147, Stephansdom Cathedral is renowned for its awe-inspiring Gothic architecture, which, along with the production’s lavish light show, lends a dramatic and mystical feel to the musical proceedings, which were recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound.

“It’s a very special place,” Brightman says of the cathedral. “There’s a dark romanticism and fairy-tale feeling within it. When you walk in, it envelops you. It’s large, but at the same time you feel very at home there and quite cozy. I wanted an architectural setting that suggested faith. I think of all the cathedrals in the world, this is one of my favorites, which is why it was important to me to perform this concert there.”

Backed by a live rock band and a full orchestra, Brightman delivers passionate performances of songs from her 2008 chart-topping album Symphony, as well as such fan favorites as “Phantom of the Opera,” “Time to Say Goodbye,” and “Ave Maria.”

Brightman also welcomes several special guests for duets, including Italian tenor Alessandro Safina, Argentinean countertenor Fernando Lima, and British singer Chris Thompson of Mannfred Mann’s Earth Band.

The package will be sold as a stand-alone CD as well as bundled in a CD/DVD format. The latter features more than 45 minutes of bonus material, including interview commentary by Brightman, an eight-page glossy color booklet, and an exclusive bonus audio track, “Vide Cor Meum.”

‘Symphony – Live in Vienna’ comes in the wake of a busy year for Brightman, who has, over the past two and a half decades, established herself as the quintessential crossover artist and world’s best-selling soprano of all time with worldwide sales of more than 26 million albums and more than two million DVDs.

In 2008, the Hertfordshire, England native released her first studio album in five years, Symphony, which topped Billboard’s Classical Overall Albums, Classical Crossover Albums, and Top Internet Albums charts, and bowed at No. 13 on the Top 200 Album chart, Brightman’s highest-ever U.S. album chart debut. She also performed the Olympic theme song, “You and Me,” at the 2008 Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing with Chinese star Liu Huan, and launched a world tour, her first since 2004, performing in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In November, Brightman released her first-ever Christmas album, A Winter Symphony, bringing her glorious angelic voice to many of the season’s classics.

The track-listing for ‘Symphony – Live in Vienna’ is as follows:

Pie Jesu / Fleurs du Mal / Symphony / Sanvean / Canto Della Terra (Duet with Alessandro Safina) / Sarai Qui (Duet with Alessandro Safina) / Attesa / I Will Be With You (Where the Lost Ones Go) (Duet with Chris Thompson) / Storia D’amore / Pasión (Duet with Fernando Lima) / Running / Let It Rain / The Phantom of the Opera (Duet with Chris Thompson) / Time to Say Goodbye / Ave Maria

CD Extra: “Vide Cor Meum”

DVD Extras:
The Production – Interview with Sarah Brightman
The Songs – Interview with Sarah Brightman
The Location – Interview with Father Anthony Faber and Historian Elisabeth Lloyd-Davis
Photo Gallery

—–

Photo Credit: Simon Fowler

For more on Sarah Brightman, please visit:

Sarah Brightman Official Website

Manchester International Festival, the world’s first festival of original, new work, announces the first three commissions for its 2009 event, including Rufus Wainwright’s debut opera Prima Donna.

Prima Donna is a portrait of a fading opera singer, set in Paris and sung in French. This new opera is directed by Daniel Kramer, conducted by Pierre-André Valade and designed by Antony McDonald. Prima Donna will feature the soprano Janis Kelly, taking the lead role Madame, soprano Rebecca Bottone, tenor William Joyner and baritone Jonathan Summers.

“Rufus Wainwright has an exceptional gift for melody and clearly has a deep affinity with opera. We’re delighted to be working with him as he moves into this new form”, said Festival Director Alex Poots.

Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation, releasing half a dozen acclaimed albums. Prima Donna is his first opera.

There will be five performances of Prima Donna at Manchester’s Palace Theatre: 10, 14, 17 July (evening) and 12, 19 July 2009 (matinee). Tickets went on sale at noon, Friday 10 October, 2008 online via www.mif.co.uk and by phone 0844 815 4960, priced £12.50 – £47.50. Please note that Rufus Wainwright will not be performing in Prima Donna.

Prima Donna is produced in partnership with Opera North whose orchestra will be performing and who will be providing their rehearsal space at their studios in Leeds. Prima Donna is commissioned by MIF, with thanks to Alistair Spalding for his collaboration and support.

Manchester International Festival, the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events, takes place biennially in Manchester, UK. The Festival launched in 2007 as an artist-led, commissioning festival presenting new works from across the spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and popular culture. Among the 25 world premieres in the 2007 Festival were Monkey: Journey to the West, a new opera directed by Chen Shi Zheng, composed by Damon Albarn and designed by Jamie Hewlett.

Manchester International Festival ‘09 will run from Thursday 2 Sunday 19 July 2009.

The entire Festival programme will be announced in March 2009.

Register for updates at:

MIF Official Website

In 2004, four of the greatest voices in the world emerged to spearhead an entire musical genre by bringing the sound of opera to the world of popular music. Now as one of the most successful groups in the world with over 22 million albums sold, Il Divo is ready to re-emerge with a brand new album and massive touring plans.

On November 10th, 2008, Il Divo will release ‘The Promise’, the group’s fifth album (Syco). And today, Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company, announced that it has signed a global touring agreement with Il Divo who will be launching their worldwide tour in February 2009.

The deal also gives Live Nation exclusive rights to the group’s merchandise, tour sponsorships, fan club and VIP/travel packages.

“Il Divo have the best of both worlds; Simon Cowell, Syco and SonyBMG to continue producing their records and help guide their careers, and now Live Nation to handle their touring activities,” comments Peter Rudge, Il Divo’s manager from Octagon. “This new Live Nation deal was the result of great work from our team including our agents John Giddings from Solo and David Zedeck from CAA, with the support of our music partners at Syco and SonyBMG.”

For ‘The Promise’, Il Divo members David Miller, Sebastien Izambard, Urs Buhler and Carlos Marín reunited with acclaimed producer and long-time collaborator Steve MCutcheon aka Steve Mac (Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Westlife) who produced Il Divo’s #1 albums ‘Siempre’ and ‘Ancora’ plus their self-titled debut.

Sung primarily in Spanish, Italian and English, songs on ‘The Promise’ include “The Winner Takes It All”, “Hallelujah”, “Amazing Grace”, a Latin original entitled “La Promessa” and “The Power of Love,” which marks the first time songwriters Holly Johnson and Trevor Horn have allowed the song to be re-cut by any artist other than Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

“People might be surprised by this album,” suggests tenor David Miller. “Our goal was to approach it with fresh ears and fresh spirits, and try some different things. We’ve still got all the cannons and fireworks, but there is more range, different dynamics, more light and shade, more color. It’s a more complete album.”

A touring force of nature, Il Divo will announce their massive 2009 touring plans this fall.

Two sold out world tours have seen them performing to over 1.5 million people in thirty countries. They appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA 2006 World Cup singing the official theme song with Toni Braxton and they were special guests of Barbara Streisand on her 2006 tour of North America.

“IL DIVO have established themselves as one of the biggest global breakthrough artists of the last decade and has proven to be a powerful force in global touring with tremendous potential to expand their fan base,” said Live Nation Arthur Fogel, CEO, Global Touring and Chairman, Global Music for Live Nation. “We look forward to helping them reach their full potential over the next two years through our global distribution and marketing platform.”

Il Divo comprised of American tenor David Miller, popular French singer Sebastian Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin were initially brought together by pop impresario Simon Cowell in 2004, following an extensive worldwide audition process.

The virtuoso blending of operatic technique with romantic and popular song took the world by storm, with sales of over 22 million.

Their first three albums, ‘Il Divo’, ‘Ancora’ and ‘Siempre’, scored 39 #1 chart positions across the world. The group also released the platinum album ‘The Christmas Collection’ in 2005. Sales of their debut self-titled album smashed Led Zeppelin’s 25 year-old record of being the only band to achieve a number 1 album without a single release.

Il Divo – The Promise on amazon.co.uk

The Promise (Deluxe Edition) on amazon.com

Il Divo Official Website

It continues to be a stellar year for soprano Sarah Brightman, who recently captivated the world with her stunning performance at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 World Olympics.

Sarah Brightman was chosen as the sole international performer to perform at the Olympic opening ceremony and was given the honor of singing the Olympic theme song, “You and Me,” with Chinese star Liu Huan. The song was a highlight of the spectacular opening ceremony, which was broadcast to over five billion viewers. In only 26 hours after the ceremony, “You and Me” was downloaded a staggering 5.7 million times. Brightman was also featured on The Today Show, live from Beijing.

Following her Olympic success, Sarah will embark on a world tour – her first since 2004. Brightman will be performing 18 concerts in the US, 10 concerts in Canada and 4 concerts in Mexico. She kicks off the tour in Monterrey, Mexico on November 4th, 2008.

Continuing her tradition of breathtaking stage productions, this tour will feature new and groundbreaking technology, with virtual and holographic stage sets that have never been seen before in any touring concert production. This innovative stage technology is highly sophisticated and dramatic, creating an otherworldly, ethereal experience: enormous realistic ballrooms will meld into fairytale gardens and then morph into giant fish tanks, right before the audience’s very eyes, creating a perfect backdrop for Sarah’s glorious voice.

After the successful release of her highest chart debuting album, ‘Symphony’, Sarah will release her first-ever Christmas album for the holiday season on Manhattan/EMI Records on November 4th, 2008.

‘A Winter Symphony’ brings her virtuosity and originality to many of the season’s classics. Her angelic voice glides through an array of season favorites, including “Silent Night” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

Her resplendent duet, “Ave Maria,” is sung with Fernando Lima, and Mario Frangoulis lends his talent on the new classical piece “Carpe Diem.” Also featured are timeless pop tracks, including Abba’s famous instrumental song “Arrival,” adapted for first time into a vocal piece, and a gorgeous rendition of Neil Diamond’s classic, “I’ve Been this Way Before.”

Sarah also brings her own elegance to the holiday pop hits, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Christmas (War is Over),” “I Believe in Father Christmas” and “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday.”

‘A Winter Symphony’ was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Symphonic Orchestra, and a 46-piece choir.

This fall, Sarah will also star in the upcoming rock opera film: Repo! The Genetic Opera, featuring Anthony Head, Paul Sorvino and Paris Hilton. The film is set for release through Lionsgate on November 7th, 2008.

During her career, Sarah has sold more than twenty-six million albums and over two million DVDs worldwide, and she continues to defy genres and create groundbreaking music for audiences around the world.

Sarah Brightman 2008 Tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Tuesday, November 4th
Arena Monterrey
Monterrey, Mexico

Thursday, November 6th
Auditorio Telmex
Guadalajara, Mexico

Saturday, November 8th
Auditorio Nacional
Mexico City, Mexico

Sunday, November 9th
Auditorio Nacional
Mexico City, Mexico

Wednesday, November 12th
American Airlines Center
Dallas, TX

Friday, November 14th
UCF Convocation Center
Orlando, FL

Saturday, November 15th
BankAtlantic Center
Sunrise, FL

Sunday, November 16th
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL

Tuesday, November 18th
Gwinnett Center
Atlanta, GA

Wednesday, November 19th
Verizon Center
Washington, D.C.

Saturday, November 22nd
MGM Grand at Foxwoods
Mashantucket, CT

Sunday, November 23rd
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Monday, November 24th
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, MA

Wednesday, November 26th
Centre Bell
Montreal QC, Canada

Friday, November 28th
Scotiabank Place
Ottawa, ON, Canada

Saturday, November 29th
Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, ON, Canada

Sunday, November 30th
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, ON, Canada

Tuesday, December 2nd
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH

Wednesday, December 3rd
Palace of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, MI

Thursday, December 4th
Allstate Arena
Chicago, IL

Saturday, December 6th
MTS Centre
Winnipeg, MB

Sunday, December 7th
Brandt Centre
Regina, SK

Monday, December 8th
Saddledome
Calgary, AB, Canada

Wednesday, December 10th
Rexall Place
Edmonton, AB, Canada

Friday, December 12th
GM Place
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Saturday, December 13th
Save on Foods Centre
Victoria, BC, Canada

Sunday, December 14th
Comcast Arena
Everett, WA

Tuesday, December 16th
ARCO Arena
Sacramento, CA

Wednesday, December 17th
HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA

Friday, December 19th
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA

Saturday, December 20th
Los Angeles Forum
Los Angeles, CA

Sunday, December 21st
Jobing.com Arena
Glendale, AZ

Sarah Brightman – A Winter Symphony on amazon.com

A Winter Symphony on amazon.co.uk

Sarah Brightman Official Website

The Alan Titchmarsh Show is set to host ‘X Factor’ style competition to search for Britain’s newest Opera diva…

To celebrate the nation’s new love affair with the world of operatic music is the fantastic new touring show, A Night at the Opera starring Jonathan Ansell.

To compliment Jonathan’s boyish looks and sensational voice the producers of the show have undertaken a nationwide search to find the next great soprano and ‘love interest’ for A Night At The Opera.

The eight sopranos who have been picked as finalists will appear on The Alan Titchmarsh Show on Monday 1st September, 2008. They will sing before a judging panel and only four will go through to the next round. They will appear again during September and face a public vote to find two finalists, these will return to sing with Jonathan Ansell and face a final vote to find the winner. The winner will then be joined by the full cast of A Night at the Opera on the Alan Titchmarsh Show on October 27th, 2008 and star with them on the nationwide tour from 30th October to 23rd November.

Jonathan Ansell says “This is a good opportunity for a new rising soprano to come and join us, and get the chance to be part of this unique show. It’s a privilege for me to sing all these great songs every night and for a whole month; I’m looking forward to seeing who I will be singing with!”

More info.:

(Subject to change.)

On 1st September, 2008 – 8 sopranos will be on the Alan Titchmarsh show. The panel of judges whittle them to 4 by the end of programme.

Sept 15th – the 4 come back to sing, and are whittled down to 2 by public vote.

16th/19th – VT’s of the ones left.

29th – the last 2 sing with Jonathan Ansell, the public vote through the show, and the winner is announced and performs at the end of the show.

Oct 27 – the whole cast of A Night At The Opera come back on the show to perform together.

The Alan Titchmarsh Show is on ITV1 at 3pm every weekday.

The judges will be voice coach to the stars David Grant, theatre pro Ruthie Henshall and celebrity manager Jonathan Shalit.

Classic FM is also currently running a nationwide vote through their magazine and website to find the nation’s favourite aria. The winning aria will be performed each night in A Night at the Opera.

A Night At The Opera – Brief Over view

Featuring the stunning voice of former G4 heart-throb Jonathan Ansell, A Night at the Opera will visit 18 major cities this autumn to bring the best loved arias and tunes to the UK. The show will feature all the classics from the world’s favourite operas such as Aida, La Boheme, Cosi Fan Tutti, The Marriage of Figaro and Madam Butterfly. The show sets out to achieve what The Three Tenors achieved – making opera accessible for everybody.

For more information, go to:

Flying Music

Opera music has never been so popular in the UK, as demonstrated by the huge success of artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Katherine Jenkins and Russell Watson. Similarly, with the success of operatic stars in talent shows such as X Factor (G4) and Britain’s Got Talent (Paul Potts, Andrew Johnston, Faryl Smith) the mass market audience has truly shown that ‘Opera Is The New Pop’!

To celebrate the nation’s new love affair with the world of operatic music is the fantastic new touring stage show, A Night at the Opera.

Featuring the stunning voice of former G4 heart-throb Jonathan Ansell, A Night at the Opera will visit 18 major cities this autumn to bring the best loved arias and tunes to the UK.

The show will feature all the classics from the world’s favourite operas such as Aida, La Boheme, Cosi Fan Tutti, The Marriage of Figaro and Madam Butterfly. The show sets out to achieve what The Three Tenors achieved – making opera accessible for everybody.

Commencing on October 30th, 2008 in Cardiff, the show travels across the country and concludes with a grand finale at the London Palladium on November 23rd.

Alongside Jonathan Ansell, the show will feature a unique cast of operatic entertainers. These include the stunning Italian actress and mezzo-soprano Silvia Colloca. Soon to star in the new Gavin and Stacey movie, ‘Lesbian Vampire Killers’, Silvia also featured in the Hollywood movie’s ‘The Detonator’ alongside Wesley Snipes, ‘Van Helsing’ with Hugh Jackman and ‘Virgin Territory’ with Mischa Barton. The show will also star the world-class baritone Toby Stafford-Allen, and the soprano Anna-Clare Monk.

In September, A Night At The Opera is hitting the nation’s TV screens too. To coincide with the show, the producers have teamed up with ITV’s daily Alan Titchmarsh Show to launch a search for the next female opera star. The entrants will be chosen from thousands, EIGHT of which will appear on the TV show on September 1st. By the end of the month the public will then choose the winner, who will perform with Jonathan Ansell on the show on September 29th. The lucky winner will be joined by the full cast on the show on October 27th, and star with them on the nationwide tour.

Classic FM is also currently running a nationwide vote through their magazine and website to find the nation’s favourite aria. The winning aria will be performed each night in A Night at the Opera.

Tickets are now on sale and already flying out of the box office. To get yours before they sell out, please contact the venue box office direct.

A Night at the Opera 2008 tour dates:

OCTOBER 2008

Thur 30 CARDIFF Millennium Centre 08700 402 000
Fri 31 BRIGHTON The Brighton Centre 0844 847 1515

NOVEMBER 2008

Sun 2 SHEFFIELD City Hall 0114 278 9789
Mon 3 GATESHEAD The Sage 0191 443 4661
Wed 5 ABERDEEN Music Hall 01224 641122
Thur 6 GLASGOW Royal Concert Hall 0141 353 8000
Fri 7 NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall 0115 989 5555
Sun 9 BOURNEMOUTH BIC 0844 576 3000
Mon 10 SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion 01702 351 135
Tues 11 LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall 0151 709 3789
Wed 12 BASINGSTOKE The Anvil 01256 844 244
Thur 13 MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall 0161 907 9000
Mon 16 BRADFORD St George’s Hall 01274 432 000
Tues 18 BIRMINGHAM Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333
Thur 20 BRISTOL Colston Hall 0117 922 3523
Fri 21 PLYMOUTH Plymouth Pavilions 0845 146 1460
Sat 22 PORTSMOUTH The Guildhall 023 9282 4355
Sun 23 LONDON Palladium 0844 412 4657