"However, there are certainly more thematic similarities between Der Wald & Lucrezia than Wheeler lets on. Both verismo operas, by Ethel Smyth and Ottorino Respighi respectively, dive headfirst into the murky waters of unwanted affection, and in particular, they explore the intense uneven power dynamics that often characterise spurned advances. In both operas, death is cast as the only answer."
"Ethel Smyth's Der Wald is a particularly interesting choice of opera. Not only is it the only opera by a woman staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in the whole of the 20th century, but it sits at an interesting point in the repertoire. First performed in 1902, the score begins and ends with sweeping and romantic choral phrases, but as it zooms in on the drama, the psychological depth of modernism, associated with the early 20th century, begin to dominate the music."
Der Wald and Lucrezia are paired to showcase second-year student talents while sharing verismo themes of unwanted affection, uneven power dynamics, and death as resolution. Both operas depict spurned advances that escalate to fatal consequences. Ethel Smyth's Der Wald is the only opera by a woman staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in the 20th century and combines sweeping romantic choral writing with emerging modernist psychological depth. Stephen Barlow's production shifts the action decades forward, marked by an Elvis Presley vinyl, and Jon Morrell's spare barn set frames a village celebration that collapses when Iolanthe's desire imperils the woodsman. Performances were largely strong, though the students felt let down by elements of the production.
Read at www.london-unattached.com
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