No matter what one’s [spiritual] leanings are, as an artist, when dealing with a strong and ancient sacred text revolving around death, you kinda have to go there. This, I humbly believe, happened while composing Dream Requiem.
– Rufus Wainwright
The U.S. premiere of Dream Requiem, a deeply personal and powerful work by Rufus Wainwright, takes place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on May 4, 2025. Performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale conducted by Grant Gershon, the event will feature Jane Fonda as narrator and soprano Liv Redpath. For more details, visit the LA Master Chorale’s website.
Dream Requiem is an epic work for orchestra, chorus, soprano and narrator. It is the culmination of Wainwright’s long-standing fascination with the Requiem form and his passion for the poetry of Lord Byron. His operatic works Prima Donna and Hadrian paved the way for this expansive, genre-defying requiem that combines the Latin Requiem Mass with Byron's apocalyptic poem Darkness. Byron’s Darkness—written after the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815—amplifies the urgency of these themes. Its stark portrayal of environmental and societal collapse mirrors the struggles of our own era, making Dream Requiem both timely and profoundly relevant.
Following its world premiere in Paris 2024, featuring Meryl Streep as narrator, the U.S. premiere is a highlight of the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s season. Commissioned by Radio France, The Royal Ballet, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Palau de la Musica Catalana Barcelona, Auditori de Barcelona, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Dream Requiem’s depth and emotional resonance invites audiences to reflect on the universal themes of life, death, and the possibility of renewal through art.
For more information, please contact your local Wise Music Promotion Team; Contact Us.
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