Prom 13 – Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers

Part of the BBC Proms.

Admired by Mahler and Britten and praised as a ‘masterpiece’ by Thomas Beecham, Ethel Smyth’s opera The Wreckers – a psychological drama of ‘wrecking, religion and love’ – was the pinnacle of the composer’s career. With its sweeping musical soundscapes, passionate central love story and radical interrogation of fear, hypocrisy and mob violence, it’s a compelling piece of music-theatre, whose heroine is a mirror of her fascinating, unorthodox creator. Glyndebourne presents the opera for the first time with its original score and French libretto. Robin Ticciati conducts an exciting international cast in this semi staged performance.