Dame Ethel Smyth - BBC Radio 3 - Building a library

[piano888]

On Saturday March 4 - the whole programme starts at 9am, the Building a Library strand at 9.30. The BBC spiel says:

'Building a Library survey on the music of Dame Ethel Smyth. As part of Radio 3's celebration of International Women's Day, Kate Kennedy explores the music of an underrated English composer and a member of the women's suffrage movement. Smyth showed tenacity and courage in pursuing her career as a composer at a time when this was an unusual path for women. Sir Thomas Beecham visited her when she was in prison for her political activities, and discovered her leaning out of a window conducting with a toothbrush as her fellow inmates marched around the prison yard.'

The music includes extracts from:

Mass in D for soloists, chorus, orchestra and organ
The Boatswain's Mate: Overture
Serenade in D
Concerto for violin, horn and orchestra
Complete piano works
String Quartet in E minor
String Quintet in E major, Op. 1
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 7
The Wreckers Overture
The Boatswain's Mate (from the complete recording)
Double Concerto in A for violin, horn & piano
Four Songs for mezzo & chamber ensemble
Three Songs for mezzo & piano
Lieder, Op. 4
Lieder und Balladen, Op. 3
Cello Sonata in C minor
Moods of the Sea (3)
Entente cordiale – Interlude
Fête galante – Minuet
Two Interlinked French Melodies

Should be an interesting survey.

[Gareth Vaughan]

We are very lucky that the majority of Ethel Smyth's important compositions are available on disk. There is one glaring omission: "The Prison". Dare one hope that one day this will be revived?

[eschiss1]

Received its US premiere in 2016? Not aware of a recording but...

[Gareth Vaughan]

Really? I didn't know that, Eric. Do you know who the performers were and where it was done? Most interesting.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Stop being lazy, Gareth. A moment's internet research revealed the following: http://www.classical-scene.com/2016/05/21/ethel-smyth-prison/

[semloh]

Thanks for the link to that enthusiastic review, Gareth. Your self-reprimand worked a treat! 

[minacciosa]

I heard excerpts of The Prison last summer, and I can tell you that it could possibly be Smyth's greatest work.

[alberto]

Strange as it may appear, the Italian pay Tv channel "Sky Classica" has recently dedicated a short documentary to Dame Ethel Smyth".

[piano888]

The complete recording of the Boatswain's Mate (conducted by Odaline de la Martinez) was made the top selection in yesterday's Building a Library.

[edurban]

Rochester (NY) Philharmonic will feature Dame Ethyl's Concerto for horn and violin on its June 3, 2018 concert.
Best, David

[rosflute]

The Prison was performed in Berlin a few years ago, and I was fortunate enough to be there. I also received a copy of the [private] recording made at that occasion. It is indeed a great work, although the sounding of the Last Post at the end does indeed weaken the effect of the whole.

[Jimfin]

Gosh, that review makes me hungrier than ever to hear this work.