Composer Of The Week

Donald Macleod explores the world of Ethel Smyth through five love affairs British composer Dame Ethel Smyth was one of the early 20th century’s 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 didn’t suffer fools gladly, and a rule-breaking, trail-blazing 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. This week, Donald Macleod explores Smyth’s story through what she termed her “passions” – the key all-consuming relationships that changed the course of her life, and how they were a necessary force for her creativity.Music Featured: Fête Galante (Overture/Sarabande) Aus der Jugendzeit! Kom, süsser Tod Lieder, Op 4 No 2, Schlummerlied Violin Sonata (3rd mvt, Romanze) Variations on an Original Theme (of an Exceedingly Dismal Nature) String Quintet, Op 1 (3rd-5th mvts) Piano S