Maxwell Davies, Peter - Eight Songs For A Mad King (Hawkes Pocket Score - HPS 1170)
Instrumentation: Study Score - Hawkes Pocket Score 1170
Long established as a classic of music-theatre, the work is an extravagant, disturbing and poignant portrayal of madness. The king is George III of England - or maybe another madman who believes himself to be that monarch - vocalizing weirdly as he bemoans his fate and tries to teach his instrumentalist-birds to sing.
by Paul Griffiths