Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright’s albums Want One (2003) and Want Two (2004) were originally conceived as a double album. What better way to celebrate the twentieth anniversary than with two back-to-back Proms (at 7:30pm and 10:15pm)? The original albums have an orchestral flair, but this Prom takes it to another level. Conducted by Sarah Hicks, the BBC Concert Orchestra play specially created new arrangements of Wainwright’s songs by John Hickin, Chris Elliott, Max Mostin, Sally Herbert, Michael P. Atkinson, Ron Goldstein, Van Dyke Parks, and Morris Kliphuis. Oh — and Matt Johnson joins the ensemble, the albums’ original drummer.

Wainwright — 50 years old this year — has kept his inimitably waspish tenor in unbelievably good shape. Singing for four and a half hours straight, with only the briefest of intervals, Wainwright’s voice has lost none of the youthful idiosyncrasies from twenty years ago. His long, held notes in “Vicious World” and “Agnus Dei” particularly blow us away. As glorious as the orchestrations are, it’s great to see Wainwright solo at the piano for “Pretty Things” and “The Art Teacher”. He’s ably assisted by the BBC Concert Orchestra’s pianist when he stands up to play acoustic guitar.

But this is a more self-effacing and down-to-earth Wainwright than the grandstanding, supremely confident performance from his award-winning tribute to Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall (2006). When Wainwright loses his place in “I Don’t Know What It Is” (“…I was trying to be funny!) and has to restart the orchestra, it’s purely endearing: a reminder of how immense the challenge is to perform the whole thing.

There are also a couple of surprises. Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) joins Wainwright for a singalong of the finale, “Old Whore’s Diet”, sharing stories about how they once dated. The encore for both Proms is a stunning orchestration of Wainwright’s hit “I’m Going To A Town” (2007). Each Prom also kicks off with a sparkling, Disneyfied overture (arr. John Hickin), which has us catching our breath before Wainwright even walks onto stage.

Tickets for all 71 Proms are available from just £8 on the BBC Proms 2023 website.