Opera in two acts
Libretto by Philip Hensher
Premiere
20. October 2023,
No further performances in the current season.
Premiere cast
- Conductor Tim Anderson
- Staging Georg Schmiedleitner
- Set Design Harald Thor
- Costume Design Tanja Hofmann
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Jubal Battisti
- Dramaturgy Johann Casimir Eule
- Duchess Mary Plazas
- Maid Rhian Lois
- Electrician Peter Tantsits
- Hotel Manager Andrew Nolen
Projektorchester
Dresden premiere
Explore
Making-of
Powder Her Face – Making-of
Margaret Campbell was known as the Dirty Duchess because of her dissolute upper-class lifestyle and her sexual escapades. The story of her life is the basis for Thomas Adés‘ successful opera Powder Her Face. For those who didn't get the chance to experience the chamber opera live in Semper Zwei, director Georg Schmiedleitner and lead Mary Plazas provide further insights with our making-of.
Stücktrailer
Powder Her Face
Since its 1995 premiere in England, the chamber opera Powder Her Face has become one of the most performed British operas worldwide. Thomas Adès (*1971) clearly touched a nerve with this early compositional work: the sensual, scandalous life of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll (1912–1993), is depicted retrospectively through eight pictures, which ingeniously shift between imagination and memory. Scored for 15 instrumentalists and four soloists, some of whom dexterously perform multiple roles, this work pays homage to the popular musical styles of the time, from swing to tango, as well as to the music of Kurt Weill, Alban Berg and Igor Stravinsky.
Gallery
