Lecture
Jessica Duchen
Wednesday 11.11.2026
Jessica Duchen
The Marriage of Figaro
Wednesday 11.11.2026
How to watch
This lecture starts on 11 November at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
What is the enduring appeal of Mozart’s beloved Enlightenment masterpiece? How and why did it come into being? In this talk, we explore its context, its ingredients, and how Mozart and his collaborators explored but also transcended the time and place in which they worked.
Jessica Duchen
Jessica is a music critic, author, and librettist. She contributes to The Sunday Times, the The i Paper, and BBC Music Magazine. Her operatic work includes Silver Birch and Dalia with Roxanna Panufnik for Garsington Opera. She has written biographies of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Gabriel Fauré and seven novels on music-related topics. Her narrated concerts have been performed at Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, and numerous festivals. Her next book is a biography of Dame Myra Hess, due for publication in spring 2025. Jessica read music at Cambridge and lives in London with her violinist husband.