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.