Front Row - 03/07/2009

Arts news and reviews with Mark Lawson. Mark Lawson reports from Manchester at the opening of the city's International Festival. Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright talks to Mark during rehearsals for Prima Donna, his debut opera about a troubled soprano attempting to revive her career with a return to the stage. Wainwright considers the lessons he's learned so far from his move into the opera house. The German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk opened the Festival at the Manchester Velodrome with a concert which also featured a quartet of British Olympic gold-medal winning cyclists, who rode round the track while the band played their song Tour de France. Andy McCluskey, from the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, reviews the event, which also included a new work from composer Steve Reich. Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller has created a vast parade which will take to the streets of Manchester. Deller's Procession includes a musical celebration of the world's first fish and chip shop and a steel band playing songs by Joy Division and The Buzzcocks, along with cheerleaders, sporting mascots, ramblers and other representatives of the city's culture, past and present. 'This show is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition' warns the publicity for It Felt Like A Kiss, a collaboration between theatre group Punchdrunk, documentary film-maker Adam Curtis and musician Damon Albarn, staged in a deserted office block. Adam Curtis discusses how the show affects its audience and whether it aims to shock.