Rufus Wainwright – Solo
Helsinki Festival opens at Huvila with a rare concert by the radiant Rufus Wainwright. One of the greatest singer-songwriters and composers of his generation, this multitalented musician comes to the festival for two reasons: his powerful classical work Dream Requiem will be performed at the Music Centre, and at Huvila he will appear in a solo concert.
At Huvila, Wainwright’s chanson-like, strongly piano-driven songs take on new life in an intimate atmosphere, where the master of baroque pop interprets major works from across his career at the grand piano. Rufus Wainwright is known for music in which sharp, self-ironic humour meets profound sensitivity. He links the songs together with personal stories and a delicate dialogue with the audience.
Wainwright builds soundscapes where nostalgia and the present moment meet. Going to a Town, Poses and Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk are compositions that define entire eras. His interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah has left a permanent mark on music history, and his connection to the song is personal: Cohen was the grandfather of Wainwright’s daughter.
Opening for Wainwright at Huvila is Ville Ahonen, known as the frontman of the band Minä ja Ville Ahonen. Having sung songs both acclaimed and unsettling, Ahonen disappeared from the stage for years. Now, the Helsinki Festival audience has a chance to hear the artist's ruggedly beautiful songs.
Rufus Wainwright (b. 1973) has released ten studio albums, two operas and a significant body of film and television music. Among his most recent works is Dream Requiem, which will also be heard at the Festival. The piece was premiered in 2024 in Paris by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under conductor Mikko Franck, with Meryl Streep as narrator.
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