After more than a decade, Rufus Wainwright returns to the Residentie Orkest under the banner "Oh what a world" with a grand survey of his work on the fault line between pop and classical. Soprano Danielle De Niese adds cachet to the roller coaster through his oeuvre.

To call Rufus Wainwright versatile is an understatement. The son of singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III's roots lie in pop music, but soon classical music beckoned as well. His operatic debut Prima Donna (2015) was followed in 2018 by Hadrian, his second opera.

Rufus Wainwright will receive vocal support tonight from none other than Danielle De Niese. The granddaughter of John Christie, the originator of the Glydebourne Opera House, it is impossible to imagine the opera world without her. With her lyrical soprano, she sings grand baroque operas as easily as contemporary works.

Special Guest: Carice van Houten

Carice van Houten recites the five Shakespeare sonnets performed by soprano Danielle de Niese in Wainwright's impressive Five Shakespeare Sonnets. She will also perform with De Niese in the Unperfect Actor, adapted especially for the Residentie Orkest - a composition based on a Shakespeare sonnet and an existing song by Rufus Wainwright, which will have its world premiere in a new orchestral version on this evening. As if that were not enough, Carice will also perform some songs with Rufus Wainwright behind the piano.