Soulmate
Donald Macleod explores the world of Ethel Smyth through five love affairs that shaped her life and music. Today, her romantic and creative partnership with Harry Brewster.
Donald Macleod explores a musician also remarkable for her sporting prowess. Today, unpacking Ethel Smythâs romantic and creative partnership with Harry Brewster.
British composer Dame Ethel Smyth was one of the early 20th centuryâs most original cultural voices. A prodigious musical talent who was best known for her operas, she was a force of nature, an unapologetic eccentric who didnât suffer fools gladly, and a rule-breaking, trailblazing feminist. Alongside music, she was an accomplished sportswoman, and her driven and playful nature - as well as her endurance - would not only shape her career but her personal life too. All this week, Donald Macleod explores Smythâs story through what she termed her âpassionsâ â the key all-consuming relationships that changed the course of her life, and how they were a necessary force for her creativity.
Today, we hear about the only man Ethel ever loved. It all began with a dramatic love triangle in Italy, and, following a 5-year freeze-out and a momentous reunion which she deemed âthe pivotâ of her life, she built a relationship with the writer Harry Brewster. Their decades-long dalliance would be Ethelâs most stable and longstanding love - she saw him as her greatest friend and soulmate. But their bond was artistic too, and their collaborations yielded two major operas â Der Wald and The Wreckers.
Piano Suite in E major (ii. Bourree)
Liana Serbescu, piano
Piano Trio (iii. Scherzo)
Chagall Trio
4 Songs (ii. The Dance)
Lucy Stevens, contralto
Berkeley Ensemble
Odaline de la Martinez, conductor
Serenade in D major (3rd and 4th movements)
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
Joshua Weilerstein, conductor
Der Wald: Scene IX and epilogue
Natalya Romaniw, soprano (Röschen)
Claire Barnett-Jones, mezzo (Iolanthe)
Robert Murray, tenor (Heinrich)
±«Óătv Singers
±«Óătv Symphony Orchestra
John Andrews, conductor
The Wreckers: Overture
±«Óătv Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo, conductor
Produced by Amelia Parker for ±«Óătv Audio Wales and West
Last on
Music Played
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Ethel Smyth
Piano Suite in E major (2nd mvt, Bourree)
Performer: Liana Èerbescu.- C.P.O. : 999-327-2.
- C.P.O..
- 13.
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Ethel Smyth
Piano Trio (3rd mvt, Scherzo)
Ensemble: Chagall Piano Trio.- MERIDIAN : 5015959428626.
- MERIDIAN.
- 3.
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Ethel Smyth
4 Songs (No 3, The Dance)
Singer: Lucy Stevens. Ensemble: Berkeley Ensemble. Conductor: Odaline de la Martinez.- Dame Ethel Smyth: Songs and Ballads.
- SOMM.
- 3.
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Ethel Smyth
Serenade (3rd & 4th mvts)
Orchestra: Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Conductor: Joshua Weilerstein.- CLAVES : CD 3091.
- CLAVES.
- 12.
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Ethel Smyth
Der Wald (excerpt)
Singer: Natalya Romaniw. Singer: Claire Barnett-Jones. Singer: Robert Murray. Choir: ±«Óătv Singers. Orchestra: ±«Óătv Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Andrews.- RESONUS : RES-10324.
- RESONUS.
- 10.
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Ethel Smyth
The Wreckers (Overture)
Orchestra: ±«Óătv Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Sakari Oramo.- CHANDOS : CHSA5240.
- CHANDOS.
- 1.
Broadcast
- Tue 30 Jul 2024 16:00±«Óătv Radio 3
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