Finally, a commercial recording of Smyth’s second opera, Der Wald, which by all accounts had not been heard in full since 1904,  is available. You can purchase the recording through Resonus Classics or find it on your favorite streaming service.

Read more about the recording session here.

Reviews of the 2023 recording of Der Wald have been significantly more positive than those of the NY critics in 1903, when Der Wald was performed at the Met. Here are just a few examples:

Erica Jeal of The Guardian gave it 4 stars.

Richard Bratby of Gramophone gave it high marks in his interview with the conductor.

Clive Paget gave it 4 1/2 stars and Limelight magazine named it editor’s choice for its January 2024 issue.

AND – it was awarded a Presto Music Award for best World Premiere Recording – Rediscovery!

On March 14, 2021, Sarah Brailey, Dashon Burton, James Blachly and the Experiential Orchestra won a Grammy award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Smyth’s The Prison.

This is Smyth’s first Grammy, and the first Grammy awarded to a historical female composer.

The hour-long work was released by Chandos Records on August 7, 2020.

Liner notes were contributed by Elizabeth Wood, Amy Zigler, and James Blachly.

Check out the press release in Musical America for the upcoming CD release of Ethel Smyth’s The Prison, performed by the Experiential Orchestra and soprano Sarah Brailey and bass-baritone Dashon Burton, conducted by James Blachly!

CD to be released August 7, 2020 on Chandos Records and is already available for pre-order on Amazon!