The Mad Duchess Opera raises £29,000 for Maggie’s

On Saturday 26 November, Opera Unlimited, the opera Committee and the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch united to raise funds for Maggie’s at the world premiere of The Mad Duchess, an opera written about one of the Duke’s ancestors, The Duchess of Albermarle.

The Duke and Duchess kindly opened the doors of their magnificent Northamptonshire home, Boughton House, and 80 guests were taken on a tour of the gardens and the house, during which they were treated to catches, canzonets and cantatas from The Montagu Music Collection, an archive of music assembled during the 18th century. The opera itself, composed by Peter Cowdrey, written by Hamish Robinson and directed by Rosie Johnston, was performed in the Great Hall, the heart of Boughton House, with internationally renowned soprano Joan Rodgers CBE in the title role of the Mad Duchess.

Maggie’s would like to thank the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and all at Boughton House for hosting such a magical day, the Committee (Clara Weatherall, Dorothy Cory-Wright, Araceli Keelan and Rebecca Posgate) for their hard work and commitment in organising such a memorable event, and to Opera Unlimited for producing The Mad Duchess in support of Maggie’s.

Opera Unlimited was set up by Clara Weatherall, Anita George, Peter Cowdrey and Rosie Johnston in 2010 in order to produce Peter Cowdrey and Hamish Robinson’s one-act opera The Lovely Ladies, which was performed at Christie’s in aid of Maggie’s. Opera Unlimited is working on a variety of projects for 2012, including a groundbreaking new education project Birdswing, which uses new technology to bring the beauty and complexity of birdsong to the classroom. For more information please visit www.operaunlimited.org.uk.

Boughton is one of the most magical houses in England. It has been the home of the Montagu family and their later descendants, the Dukes of Buccleuch, since 1528 and its collections of paintings and the decorative arts are renowned. It lies in the embrace of a complex landscape of canals, lakes and avenues that is currently being revealed after centuries of benign neglect. Described as the “English Versailles” it still combines the intimacy of an early Tudor house with quiet corners and courtyards, with grand architecture and design as interpreted by Ralph Montagu after his service as ambassador at the court of Louis XIV in the later 17th century. For more information about Boughton House, please visit www.boughtonhouse.org.uk.