Auckland Libraries

In this duo concert, Polly Sussex and Sarah Watkins present two beautiful and unusual works for cello and piano. The two composers, Ethel Smyth and Melanie Bonis were born in the same year on opposite sides of the English Channel. They were both destined to suffer the poor public profile of female composers in the early twentieth century, regardless of the high quality of their work. Both works show an intimate knowledge of the instruments and are a welcome addition to the repertoire. Today, two established Auckland performers present, for what is thought to be the first time in New Zealand, the first cello sonata of English suffragette Ethel Smyth, and the only cello sonata by the French woman Mel. Bonis.