When composer and writer Ethel Smyth died aged 86 in May 1944, the Daily Telegraph branded her “one of the most gifted women of all times”. The Sunday Times obit was more explicit in its ambivalence: “Whatever the ultimate verdict on her music, she herself was magnificent.”
There are no ultimate verdicts in music, thankfully – just endlessly shifting fashions. And, after decades out in the cold, Smyth is having a good year: Glyndebourne opened its summer season with The Wreckers and the Proms has featured several of her works, including the beguiling Double Concerto for Violin and Horn. The determined work of smaller companies and individuals nevertheless remains crucial to the Smyth legacy. Always thoughtful, Grimeborn festival – rooted in hipster mecca Dalston – first staged her comic opera The Boatswain’s Mate in 2018 and has revived it as part of this year’s offering.
