Rufus Wainwright on composing operas and celebrating 20 years since his debut album

Originally published on November 23, 2018

Rufus Wainwright's new opera Hadrian is inspired by the historical Roman emperor who fell deeply in love with a young Greek man named Antinous. The production just had its world premiere last month with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. 

Opera has been a huge part of Wainwright's life for a long time. He stopped by the q studio to talk about what opera means to him, as well as his current tour, which celebrates his first two pop records. He also takes some time to perform his song In a Graveyard from his 2001 album Poses on q's grand piano.

Wainwright is on tour now across North America, with a few more dates in Canada next May. Tomorrow, you can tune into the world-premier broadcast of Hadrian with libretto Daniel MacIvor on CBC Music, formerly CBC Radio 2, beginning at 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m. in Newfoundland. 

— Produced by Emma Godmere