Rufus Wainwright premieres 'Dream Requiem' in Barcelona in 'powerful experience'

"It will be a very powerful experience," American singer and composer Rufus Wainwright told journalists on Thursday in Barcelona ahead of his 'Dream Requiem' premiere on Saturday.

The performance will take place at the Palau de la Música, one of the "most beautiful" sites, as Wainwright said.

Being in Barcelona is "amazing, and to go to Palau, a very luxurious place, feels like a breath of fresh air," he said during a press conference. He linked current affairs in the United States, such as the wildfires in his hometown of Los Angeles and the recent Donald Trump inauguration as president, to something dark, but he added, "Requiems are dark, but that is what is happening."

'Dream Requiem' was commissioned by L'Auditori de Barcelona and Palau de la Música in cooperation with other international music halls, such as the Orchestre Philharmonique Radio France, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, London's Royal Opera House, and RTÉ National Orchestra of Ireland.

The piece also features the children's choir of the Catalan Orfeó and the Austrian-British soprano Anna Prohaska. French Ludovic Morlot will conduct the concert and will also see the Barcelona Symphonic Orchestra (OBC).

Overall, dozens of people will be on stage, including 105 choir singers and 34 children from the Cor Infantil. 

"It is challenging how many people we have on stage and for me to be able to coordinate," Morlot said before adding, "We are all starting on Ground Zero, and I am being challenged and learning about Rufus' voice."

Wainwright's composition premiered at France's Radio France Auditorium in Paris on June 14 with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and many others, including actress Meryl Streep as the narrator.

Barcelona will be the second city where 'Dream Requiem' is performed, with tickets sold out.

Replacing Streep, American actress Sharon Stone was expected to narrate Wainwright's composition in Barcelona on Saturday, but due to the LA wildfires, she stepped down and left room for Wainwright to narrate his own piece.

The wildfires impacted Stone, Wainwright, and Morlot, who lost his home to the flames.

"I believe that with tragedy, the best option is to face it, and I find that music is the only thing that brings solace, and for me to continue conducting the concert gives me a lot of comfort," Morlot said to journalists.

'Darkness' by Lord Byron

Rufus Wainwright's Dream Requiem is inspired by the poem 'Darkness' by British Lord Byron, which describes a complete environmental collapse.

"Work came on its own," the composer said. "When I first discovered the poem, I felt struct with that and had to do something with that."

The piece was composed when there "were a lot of fires in LA, and fires influenced me when I read 'Darkness,'" Wainwright said.

After writing two operas, he now "finally" feels "that as a classical composer, I found my place," as "with this piece, I believe I know what I am doing, and I have a voice," in the classical music industry.