Its world premiere, which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, was performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Jaap van Zweden at Carnegie Hall on June 10, 2022.
The music reflects what I imagine a suffragist’s internal psychological landscape might have resembled: a struggle along the emotional continuum between hope and doubt, inspiration and exhaustion, faithlessness and resilience.
[1] Reviewing the world premiere, Seth Colter Walls of The New York Times described the music as "by turns fragile and ferocious" and "[boasting] touches of mordant wit."
Despite criticizing the sampling of Smyth's "The March of Women" late in the piece, he nevertheless wrote that "even in the densest moments, you could discern Snider's feel for wry commentary.
A few walloping brass passages seemed to offer knowing nods and the subtlest of eye-rolls — as though the characters who inspired this music were aware that the unshakable strengths of the suffrage movement could outlast early, noisy objections.