Our current project

Ethel Smyth: THE PRISON + THE FOREST

Ethel Smyth, born in 1858 in in Sidcup/Kent,  was an English composer and important figure in the British music scene of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She composed operas, orchestral pieces and chamber music. As a suffragette, Smyth was active in the women’s rights movement of the time and went to prison for her convictions. Ethel Smyth died in 1944 at the age of 86 in Woking/Surrey.

‘The Prison’ is a symphony for soloists, choir and orchestra and was intended to convey the philosophy of life of her long-time friend Henry Brewster. Ethel Smyth’s late work was composed despite her progressive hearing loss. The performance lasts approx. 1 hour.

‘The Forest’ is a short opera that premiered at the Berlin State Opera in 1902. It was followed by performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London and a year later at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where it was much better received by the audience. We will sing excerpts from the opera that lasts approx. 20 minutes.

The concert will be on Saturday, 30 November 2024, at 8 pm, together with the Junge Philharmonie Kreuzberg in Berliner Dom.

Further information:

• Wikipedia.org: Ethel Smyth