Rufus Wainwright conveys an opulent sound and spirit in ‘Want Symphonic’

Rufus Wainwright has a voice best described as “cashmere wood” — soft, fine and delicate, but with a solid, hardened edge. His songwriting matches it: a mysterious mix of heartfelt, honest and raw ballads and sturdy pop-rock ravers. He’s instinctively carved out a space that only he inhabits.

Wainwright revels in filling his songs with musical passages that give a cheeky wink and a reverential bow to the past. He’ll often reach back decades, even centuries, for his muse, unapologetically borrowing brushstrokes from Ravel’s Boléro, a Verdi opera or a Gershwin tune to complete his canvas of challenging and original music scapes.

And if that sounds a tad hyperbolic, it’s worth recalling that Elton John once declared Wainwright as “the greatest songwriter on the planet.”

Wainwright is no stranger to Ravinia, returning on Aug. 11 for the sixth time, dating back to 2004.

Making its U.S. debut at Ravinia, Wainwright’s adventurous “Want Symphonic” program centers on his career-transforming albums “Want One” and “Want Two,” released in 2003 and 2004, respectively. The concert, with Wainwright joining the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lee Mills, and with new symphonic arrangements by Sally Herbert and Max Moston, marks the project’s 20th anniversary.

Wainwright, who turned 50 in July, was born in New York State but lived his early years in Canada. His parents, two respected folk music stalwarts, Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle, raised him and his younger sister, Martha (also a noted singer-songwriter), in a household where music was in the blood and filled the family coffers.

His 1998 debut album garnered positive critical reaction and promising industry buzz, due to the enthusiastic support of his record label’s legendary exec, Lenny Waronker. Wainwright followed it up in 2001 with the album “Poses,” which won Canada’s Juno Award for best alternative album.

But it was “Want One” that thrust Wainwright’s career into high gear. The wildly ambitious, musically boundless collection effortlessly and unabashedly blended pop, rock, opera, classical, cabaret, baroque, burlesque, Broadway, Bacharach, chamber music and Hollywood musicals. It established Wainwright’s deserved reputation as a genre-bending chameleon. With expressively eccentric, charging songs including “Oh What a World,” “I Don’t Know What It Is,” “Movies of Myself,” “14th Street” and “Beautiful Child,” Wainwright created adventurous, opulent, lofty and layered confessional compositions.

Equally impressive were the album’s honest, reflective ballads, such as the desperately droning “Vibrate,” “Pretty Things,” “Go or Go Ahead,” “Natasha” and the emotionally laced and stinging ode to his father, “Dinner at Eight” (which David Bowie once described as the best father/son song ever written).

With the similarly ambitious sequel, “Want Two,” Wainwright again explored and experimented, beginning with the six-minute, string-laden, soaring hymn “Agnus Dei.” It continued in a more plaintive tone than its predecessor, and though still musically extravagant in its aim, stirs the soul lyrically in songs like “The Art Teacher,” the Jeff Buckley tribute “Memphis Skyline,” the revealing “Gay Messiah,” “Peach Trees” and “Little Sister.”

Speaking from Los Angeles by phone, Wainwright proved that in his music and in his life, he always has something to say.

Is the “Want One” album’s 20th anniversary the main reason you’re revisiting it and its sequel in a live setting?

I’m in a period of musical contemplation. I’ve made a few albums now that have returned to several sources in my life. I moved back to Los Angeles where I started my career — my latest release [Folkocracy] goes back to the music of my childhood, and now these “Want” records are 20 years old. Those were such impactful albums — they broke me big in Europe and in the U.K., and it ricocheted back to the U.S. I still listen when they come on my iPod. 

Many artists don’t listen to their older music.

I will listen to it, partially. I’ve always been into creating art in my career. I do like to hear the progression that has occurred. My first album was easy to present—I had been writing songs for 10 years and I had a lot of material. [Laughs.] The sophomore effort [Poses] thankfully was well received, and it accomplished what I set out to do.

The third one, yes, I do feel I blasted it out of the park. A lot of pent up emotion and frustration went into it—and many years in a haze of drugs, alcohol, and rock and roll—which I loved but I had to pay a price for. The Want records were a template to slay those dragons in my life and become a man. They are important records for me personally.

Was there an initial plan to make something so bold as the Want albums?

I was going through a lot of big personal experiences. I went to rehab before I made it. Some of the songs were written before rehab when I was crazy. But later, I had a clean head. I also met my future husband during that experience. I was progressing to the next level of my life.

It became apparent “Want One” was my masculine, valiant side, trying to figure out the world. And “Want Two” was more feminine, internal, mysterious and sentimental.

I moved two steps forward in my songwriting, and all the elements came to me. Marius de Vries was the producer, and it was the perfect fit. I was promised by my record label I would be given a chance to develop and blossom by my third and fourth albums. I took them at their word. I worked hard to get to that point, and I ran with it.

Twenty years later, the albums are considered masterpieces, so your instincts proved correct.

I’m glad I didn’t compromise. I like to play the long game. Also, the success of “Want One” has a Chicago connection. My publicist, Barbara Charone, is a Chicago native, but she has lived in London for years. She heard “Want One” and called me and said, “I have to make this album a success.” She suggested we re-release it in England and give it a big push. She’s the one who got Elton John on board early; plus, getting stories in important U.K. music magazines like New Musical Express. Barbara still has that tough Chicago personality to get things done in all the best ways. She kept her promise.

What can we expect from the “Want Symphonic” program?

This will be kind of a world premiere — it will be the first gig of the celebration of the “Want” records. So that’s fun, and I am excited to do it at Ravinia. I’ve done great things there over the years, so I’m looking forward to coming back.

The rehearsal with the CSO is usually the day of the show, so it’s nerve-wracking and crazy. It’s incredible how fast and adept they are, but they definitely will be working for their money, that’s for sure! [Laughs] This music is a tall order.

I am also glad I will have Matt Johnson with me as a drummer. Orchestras have percussionists, but this music needs a real rock drummer. However, to best resurrect the spirit and grandiose sound of the Want records, a full orchestral show is necessary.

Are the “Want” records timeless or of their time?

They have their own place. I can never recapture that time. They are so lavish, lush and luxurious. There is so much going on. We used two separate orchestras. It felt huge at the time. We mixed it once — but it was too big, so we mixed it again. They aren’t the highest form of my artistic endeavors, but were peak-ish records for me and my career.

And now I am entering into new territories that are well-suited for the wild journey that I have had — namely, the theater. I have started to eye the Broadway stage and write a musical. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m very excited about it. This unusual journey I have had will be an asset.

This is an excerpt of an article originally published in the Ravinia magazine. To read the complete version, click here.