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New York City Opera Presents Thomas Adès' Powder Her Face

Jan. 31, 2013

New York City Opera Presents Thomas Ad&egrave;s&#39; <em>Powder Her Face</em>

Thomas Adès’ chamber opera Powder Her Face returns to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for four performances this month mounted by New York City Opera. With an English-language libretto by Philip Hensher, the 8-scene opera is based on the 1960s British scandal surrounding socialite Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, and several members of Parliament. Powder Her Face first bowed at BAM 15 years ago in its New York premiere at the 1998 Next Wave Festival. This new multimedia production features stage direction by Jay Scheib and music direction by Jonathan Stockhammer. 

Nicknamed the “Dirty Dutchess” and playing off a cultural obsession with political scandal and tabloid journalism, Margaret Campbell’s life story serves as a prism through which Ades explores the intersection of gender, politics, and power in his brilliant first opera. Scheib adds, “with its high-speed turns, [the opera] feels on the surface like a Don Giovanni for the Monica Lewinsky generation—but this one’s about a duchess who does what she wants how and when she wants it. Adès has single-handedly resurrected the reputation of one ‘Dirty Duchess’ as dreamt by Jean Genet—and the music is absolutely thrilling.” Powder Her Face plays at BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House on February 15, 17, 21 and 23 and features a stellar cast including Allison Cook, Nili Riemer, William Ferguson and Matt Boehler. 

For precise performance details, visit www.nycopera.com and www.bam.org. Watch a behind-the-scenes look at Powder Her Face with Allison Cook here

Learn more on the life and  music of Thomas Adès at www.thomasades.com or www.fabermusic.com.

Thomas Adès
Powder Her Face (1995)
libretto (En.) by Philip Hensher
opera in two acts
2 sopranos, tenor, bass
15 players:
3cl(I.bcl, ssax, bsax; II.bcl, asax, bsax ad lib; III.bcl, cbcl, swanee whistle)-hn.tpt.trbn-perc-hp-pno -accordion-2vn.va.vc.db
115’

 

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