Thomas Adès and Philip Hensher’s dazzlingly precocious chamber opera Powder Her Face propelled its composer to international attention after its premiere in 1995 and, with nearly 300 worldwide performances, remains one of the most frequently performed British operas of the last two decades. Charting the glamorous rise and seedy fall of the notorious socialite beauty Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, the score is as witty, poignant and memorable as the ‘Dirty Duchess’ herself, paying homage to the pop...