This is the link to the Tarrytown Music Hall http://tarrytownmusichall.org/
I first heard of Rufus Wainwright in July of 2010. I was in Los Angeles for the World Service Convention of Overeaters Anonymous. I was a very new Josh Groban fan, and I knew that Josh was from L.A. and likely to be there, though I couldn't be sure. While I was there, he tweeted that he had gone to see Rufus Wainwright. I was able to get a newspaper and actually see the notice of the concert he had gone to. That was before the BWB concerts and I had never yet seen Josh in person, so I was frustrated that had I been prescient I might have run into him -- not that I would otherwise have had any reason to go see this musician. The name of Rufus Wainwright sure stuck in my mind afterwards, though.
It was only later that "Illuminations" came out and I learned that Rufus Wainwright had written the lyrics for "Au Jardin des Sans-Pourquoi" with his mother shortly before her death. I'm sure we all remember Josh's dramatic telling of the story of learning that that was the only song that Rufus had co-written with his mother.
I love that song. It's definitely one of my favorites on that album, maybe second after Voce -- though I also very much like War at Home and London Hymn. I usually like the ones where Josh writes the music, and this one is in French, which I am fluent in and adore. The lyrics are very moving to me, as well.
So, I decided that I would go see this concert.
Now, let me say first about this concert that I did not have to put on ear plugs, or plug my ears with my fingers. That puts the concert well into the above average category right away, for me.
We started out with Rufus's aunt Sloan (sp?) opening for him, along with an instrumentalist who played guitar, ukulele, and one other instrument (maybe a mandolin or lute?)
She sings in a strong alto voice. For the most part, she has a nice voice, though sometimes the lower notes sounded a bit forced into a hollow sound, maybe a bit the way Jackie Evancho does. She has a good sense of humor and sets up the songs well.
Rufus performs solo, both with guitar and piano. Some of the piano pieces he played were quite complex and I was definitely impressed with the speed with which he played them. He has a strong baritone voice and his timing is excellent. There's something about a really great musician, that things just click well. He definitely had that.
Sometimes he got a sort of lackadaisical, nasal sound to his voice, but other times he sounded very good -- not as good as Josh, of course, but still good. I would say that as the concert went on his voice seemed to warm up more and he sounded better the longer he sang, so probably the encores were the best he did.
Rufus did a duet with his aunt, with the other musician playing along. I really liked that piece. Both singers stopped trying to belt or sing heroically and worked on blending, which they did extremely well.
Rufus told us that he lives out in Montauk with his husband, and is working on an opera and a "Greatest Hits" album.
He also said that he has been touring in Latin America. Now how does he get to go to Latin America and Josh doesn't? Odd. I guess since he does a solo show it's less of a production for him to go there.
Still, I can't say as I fell in love with him.
The great thing about the Tarrytown Music Hall is that the audience there is very supportive, and the place is usually pretty full. They don't have any employees there. The ushers, ticket sellers, and refreshment sellers are all volunteers. It's a community project, really. Everyone wants it to work, so they give a good showing and people are enthusiastic. Rufus got a standing ovation and lots of cheers.
It is an older building, and operates on a shoestring budget, so I do often wonder if that old balcony is going to collapse some day. Hopefully not when I'm in it. I usually get the balcony seats, because they're cheaper, but so far the sound has always been good up there, and the place is small enough that you can see the stage pretty well, even from the back. Still if that collapse were to happen, I suppose it would be better to be in the balcony than under it. OK, I'm a worry wart. Maybe you had noticed that before?
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Addendum: Unfortunately, I only recognized one of the songs that he sang. That was Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"
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one blurry photo
one blurry photo
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