“In 1934, all of musical England gathered to celebrate the 75th birthday of one the country’s most famous composers—Dame Ethel Smyth,” writes Leah Broad in Wednesday’s (12/2) Guardian (U.K.). “After her death in 1944, Smyth spent several decades out of the limelight, but she is now coming back on to concert programs…. The CD release that blew me away this year was Chandos’s world premiere recording of The Prison, delivering stellar performances from Dashon Burton, Sarah Brailey, James Blachly and the Experiential Orchestra and Chorus. And Smyth is not alone in enjoying a resurgence of interest…. If we only hear the same small number of works we’re missing out on the richness that classical music can provide. Barbara Strozzi, Johannes Brahms, Julius Eastman, Jessica Curry and Errolyn Wallen are all technically ‘classical’ composers, but what a world of difference between their sounds…. Expanding the canon brings us incredible music and extraordinary stories. Smyth’s E Minor String Quartet is beautifully lyrical, her Mass breathtaking…. We’ve still got a way to go…. But the wealth of recordings, books, and performance editions of music by a vast range of voices gives hope that these statistics will move in the right direction.”
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