Ethel Smyth - The Prison

[ewk]

The Bavarian Radio (the one whose orchestra appointed Rattle as their new conductor yesterday) has chosen "the prison" as CD of the week:

https://www.br-klassik.de/aktuell/br-klassik-empfiehlt/cd/album-der-woche-ethel-smyth-the-prison-100.html

[Alan Howe]

Interesting, but only to those who can read German - or can use an online translation service!

[Jimfin]

Here's my attempt. I have omitted the bits about the soloists. Not perfect, but it's useful:

What a woman! Born in London in 1858, Ethel Smyth went on hunger strike in order to pursue musical studies in Leipzig. Back in England she began her career as a composer. Later she took part in the militant activities of the Suffragette movement for women's rights and landed in prison, where she conducted her hymn "March of the Women" for her fellow prisoners -with a toothbrush. Due to worsening deafness, Ethel Smyth retired from composition and took up writing, only to produce another large choral symphony "The Prison" in 1930.

Listening Notes

A unnamed prisoner sits in his cell and waits for his approaching death. He reflects on his ineluctable situation with his soul, which Smyth assigns to a soprano in "The Prison". The chorus comments like in a classical tragedy about the metaphysical events -here are the echoes of the world of the Beyond.


Struggle with and Acceptance of Death

"The Prison", half choral symphony and half oratorio, deals with the Last Things: with the transcendence of earthly existence, the struggle with and acceptance of death. When the Prisoner dreams of the beauty of nature, Smyth imitates birdsong -long before Olivier Messaien.

Inner spirituality which goes right to the heart

A "Choral Prelude in the Prison Chapel" is the heart of "The Prison". Smyth has colourfully scored the German Choral which recalls Bach's Passions. James Blachly and his Experiental Orchestra express the music of this moment with a spirtuality which goes right to the heart.

In brief:

This record will be loved by people who...
   Are interested in spiritual themes and contemplative sounds.
This record is worth buying because...
   We can appreciate at last the compositional power of the British late romantic Ethel Smyth.
This record's drawback is...
   There has never previously been a recording of this expensive-to-record work
This record invites you to...
   A journey of discovery in the world of a composer who was ahead of her time in her world.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for doing this!

[Alan Howe]

Agreed. It's certainly impressive and often moving, but it just doesn't stick in the memory.

[Jimfin]

It's very different from anything else of hers I've heard. She is usually more melodically memorable, but less deep, I think. I have enjoyed the recording very much, but I haven't listened repeatedly to it, as I do with some works. I listened a lot more to Fete Galante when that was released. It did help that my commute to work was precisely the right length for it, though.