'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's harrowing '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.
