The plot of Powder Her Face spans decades to tell the story of the Duchess of Argyll, from her infatuation with the Duke through their marriage, affairs and divorce. She loses the divorce case after the proceedings included salacious photographs and an 88-item list of men the Duke claimed the Duchess had slept with. The opera also shows her many years later, granting a rare press interview and being thrown out of her hotel room because she cannot pay the bill. Rather than escaping from her confined room, the Duchess climbs into the pit, unable to free herself from the shackles of patriarchal constraints on female appetites.
Adès’ score is cacophonous and slippery. Monologues and dances (a jazzy ditty, an infernal tango) offer melodic anchors in the midst of chaos. In addition to more usual instruments, the score calls for fishing reels, swanee whistles and electric bells. This opera rewards attentive listening, layering melodies, sound effects and atmospheric noise to create a complicated and often overwhelming din.
