Wreckers Ethel Smyth Glyndebourne

Set on the Cornish coast during the 18th century, The Wreckers explores the moral conflict between duty and desire against a backdrop of maritime peril and religious hypocrisy. The opera centers on a community of wreckers—coastal dwellers who deliberately lure ships onto rocks to plunder their cargo—and the passionate relationship between two lovers caught within this brutal world. When a ship approaches, the wreckers prepare their deadly trap, but personal loyalties and forbidden love threaten to expose their dark secrets. The work examines themes of conscience, sacrifice, and the collision between individual passion and collective survival, culminating in a dramatic confrontation that forces characters to choose between self-preservation and moral redemption. Smyth's score combines lyrical beauty with dramatic intensity, capturing both the rugged landscape and the turbulent emotions of her characters.