Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta Live Bmg / ADA

Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta Live was recorded in January 2017 as Wainwright toured with the prestigious all-string ensemble Amsterdam Sinfonietta through the Netherlands. Curated by Wainwright, the ten concerts reflected the immense bandwidth of his musical influences and interests, spanning Verdi arias, pieces by Rameau and his beloved Berlioz, American standards, classics by Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, French chanson, songs by his family and songs of his own, some written expressly for this program. At the album’s emotional center is an epic version of late Canadian singer-songwriter Lhasa de Sela’sharrowing “I’m Going In,” a song written about her own death from cancer at the age of 37. With Wainwright’s voice truly at the peak of its substantial power, Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta Live 2017 showcases the astounding artistic kinship between the celebrated singer-songwriter and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta–led by Candida Thompson –making these previously unreleased live recordings something utterly unique and entirely breathtaking.

“These were some of the most challenging and most fulfilling shows I have done in my life” says Wainwright. “Never have I sung so many songs from such different styles and worlds of music from French baroque to classical arias to contemporary music. I dont think this would have been possible without the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Candida Thompson. I was caught, uplifted, secure, challenged in their beautiful string playing.“

Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta Live was mixed by multiple GRAMMY® Award-winner Ryan Freeland and mastered by Ruairi O’Flaherty, both in Los Angeles, and is comprised of recordings from five of the 10 concerts. All arrangements were created specifically for the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.