Music Thomas Linley, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giovanni Paisiello, Martin Soler, Stephen Storace

Creator and Lyrics Michael Williams

Additional text Janet Plater

Compiler Mark Tatlow

Premier 7 July 2019, Buxton Opera House

Commissioned by the Buxton International Festival

'A score of strikingly high quality ... '

Included with kind permission from the Buxton International Festival

Background

For its 40th Anniversary season, Buxton International Festival commissioned Georgiana, an opera pasticcio on the life and times of the Duchess of Devonshire. Her life (1757—1806) inspired a best-selling biography by Amanda Foreman and the Keira Knightly Hollywood film, The Duchess. 

Beyond the glamour of her status at Chatsworth, I was intrigued by the radical polyamorous relationship between Georgiana, Bess and the Duke of Devonshire, and how Georgiana navigated the complexities of female friendship while redefining the social boundaries of her time.

The ensemble brings to life Georgiana’s world; her triumphs and disasters, and the pleasures, intrigues, and vices of the English upper class. The spirit of 18th century dramma giocoso is re-captured as her journey lurches from comedy to tragedy. Relishing the scandal of the infamous ménage à trois, the gossips Fox and Sheridan, in vaudevillian style, keep us abreast of the changes in Georgiana’s fortunes. 

- Michael Williams

The Music

The creation of this pasticcio has strengthened my belief in the ultimate flexibility of late 18th century musical style, and the consequent possibility of putting together “new” operas with existing material—as was done in London by Stephen Storace, among others. Georgiana showed me that there are new stories to tell today, with first-class music that is not yet well-known; and that a dramma giocoso can delight audiences new to the genre. Georgiana contains the usual operatic forms: aria, duet, trio,  ensemble, finale, dialogue and recitative, but extends the list with melodrama (a genre Mozart wanted to develop further), incidental and background music, and even popular songs of the day. Everything is woven into a convincing musical whole using techniques of the period. The score does not attribute the musical numbers to specific composers but there are fact sheets that detail the origins, cuts and other changes. Why is this worth doing now? Late 18th-century music was designed not only to entertain an audience, but to give individuals an experience of communal empathy and social cohesion: not a bad aim for today either!

Mark Tatlow, Conductor/Compiler

 

Cast list

Georgiana (Soprano)

Duke (Tenor)

Bess (Mezzo-soprano)

Lady Spencer (Contralto)

Sheridan (Baritone)

Fox (Tenor)

Grey (Mezzo)

Blackmailer (Bass)

Orchestra

29 musicians

2,2,2,2

2,2,0,0

timp/perc

str (5,4,3,2,1)

continuo/

conductor

Duration

Act I 65 min

Act II 55 min

Why buy a license for GEORGIANA?

A Masterly Opera Pasticcio Score 

The score is a tapestry of 18th-century musical excellence, and  provides students and professionals with a rigorous workout in the Classical style. 

Ensemble Opera

It features eight roles of equal importance, creating an ensemble piece where the cast remains on stage for the majority of the performance. 

Ideal for Conservatoire Training

With a variety of roles across different vocal ranges, it requires singers to navigate complex recitative, florid arias, and nuanced ensemble playing.

A Modern Take on Georgian Life

While set in the 1700s, the book shines a sharp, contemporary lens on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It explores themes of celebrity, political agency, and the 'gilded cage' of high society, making the opera relevant to today's audiences. 

A Comedy about a Ménage à trois

Georgiana thrives on its fast-paced, irreverent humour as it navigates the triangular relationship between the Duke, the Duchess and Lady Bess. This is a high-stakes comedy of manners that demands sophisticated character and precise comedic timing from the entire cast.

Synopsis

Prologue

The Duchess of Devonshire prepares for an evening with the Ton (members of British high society) and remembers Georgiana and the lifestyle they once enjoyed. She conjures up a memory of the Ton at play.

Act I

Georgiana is gambling and loses a fortune. The Blackmailer buys her debt. In Bath people gossip about the unhappy marriage of the Duke and Duchess and the arrival of the mysterious Lady Bess Foster. Lady Spencer, Georgiana's mother, is outraged at Bess's presence and demands that she leaves. Georgiana assists Fox in his political campaign and sells votes for kisses in Covent Garden. She meets Charles Grey and is immediately attracted to him. The Duke wants to know the extent of her debt, and Georgiana tells him that she is pregnant. Bess is also pregnant with the Duke's child. The decide to find a way of living together.

Act II

The household staff manage the complexities of a ménage à trois. Bess encourages Georgiana to have an affair with Charles Grey. When this is discovered by the Duke, he threatens to divorce her. Georgiana confesses that she is pregnant with Grey's child. The Duke sends her away for her confinement and insists that she gives up the infant or he will ruin Grey's career. The Blackmailer demands to be paid and allows Georgiana one more chance to repay her debts. She falls ill. Bess cares for her and promises to marry the Duke when Georgiana dies. Lady Bess Foster becomes the new Duchess of Devonshire after Georgiana's death.