The Prison (1930)

After her death in 1944, Smyth spent several decades out of the limelight, but she is now coming back on to concert programmes and recording schedules. The CD release that blew me away this year was Chandos’s world premiere recording of The Prison, delivering stellar performances from Dashon Burton, Sarah Brailey, James Blachly and the Experiential Orchestra and Chorus.

There is much that is striking, from the way in which Smyth draws in the scene around the prisoner's voice at the very start, to the hint of a solemn Bach chorus at the end of the first half, and the echoing Last Post honouring the moment of death.…Most haunting of all is the beginning of the second half, the soprano soaring on one unchanging note while the music shifts and searches for stability underneath.