Strictest Adultery: Byron's Italian Loves

Amanda Pitt (soprano)

Helen Semple (soprano)

Gavin Roberts (piano)

Emily Paterson-Morgan (Byron Society)

Lord Byron was baptised at St Marylebone in 1788, but is better-known for his scandalous love life – the string of affairs with women of all types and nationalities has become part of the Byronic Legend.

Two hundred years ago, in 1821, Byron was in Italy, a country where every married woman was ‘employed in the laudable practise of Love making’ – something the poet was swift to take advantage of.

Ignoring the old adage that ‘a gentleman never tells’, Byron’s riotously funny letters are full of salacious gossip about his numerous lovers and offer a comical assessment of Italian culture through the eyes of a bewildered (yet undoubtedly appreciative) Englishman.

From catfights and arson to high society parties and attempted murder, this event offers an intimate insight into Byron’s Italian love life, told in his own words and introduced by Byron expert Dr Emily Paterson Morgan. Sopranos Amanda Pitt and Helen Semple bring these romantic liaisons and affairs to life in songs, arias as a female response to Byron’s words. Music by Mozart, Fanny Hensel, Rossini, Bellini and more!

This event is sponsored by The Byron Society