Ethel Smyth: Entente Cordiale

[piano888]

Does anyone have any information on when this was last performed (in any form) in its entirety, and by whom?

I'd really like to see the manuscript of the full score but it appears to be lost - all ideas for its whereabouts welcomed! (Yes, I know Music Sales ought to have it, but they don't.)

Thanks.

[eschiss1]

I'm assuming you know of the 1925 Bristol(?) (RCM?) performance of this comic opera (if I'm reading this from her memoirs right...) - well, if I can turn up anything...

(A French composer, I think, would have lowercased the "cordiale" or most second-words in such a title, but I could be mistaken... )


(Ah, my mistake. I should have looked at Wikipedia -- first fully staged performance, 1926, Bristol. The reference to RCM I saw in the annotated memoirs was to the first but not fully-staged performance of 1925.) Wikipedia mentions too that the Intermezzo, given independent arranged life, has been recorded - 3 times; see http://www.allmusic.com/composition/entente-cordiale-opera-mc0002483195- so the answer in some sense could be "very recently"... Wikipedia also mentions a concert suite premiered in 1935 (3 Jan 1935, Prom 4, acc. to the Proms Archives) (and in the Proms, the Overture and Intermezzo were performed before the opera was, on 3 October 1925; the several-times-(now)-recorded Intermezzo was performed again @ 14 October 1926 (along with part of the rather more - over a dozen excerpts etc. at the Proms- fortunate Boatswains' Mate. The Wreckers? 29 appearances in some form or other at the Proms to date, if you're wondering, counting excerpts etc. ...)) Hrm. Might not be looking in the right places, though.

Anyone know of a RCM Opera performances archive website?

[eschiss1]

Interesting. The various suites (Fete galante, e.g.) seem not to be performed either, but at least that one (not sure about the Entente one) was published by U.E. in 1939, the BL has the score (maybe the parts? hopefully?...) and could be tried by an orchestra?