Peter Maxwell Davies, Eight Songs for a Mad King (Official Score Video w/ Live Chat Commentary)

Boosey & Hawkes presents an online score reading of Peter Maxwell Davies’s “Eight Songs for a Mad King“ with live chat commentary. Listen and follow along with our publisher’s score, set to the iconic 1973 recording of Julius Eastman as the Mad King, with The Fires of London conducted by Maxwell Davies himself (courtesy Treasure Island Music). 00:00 1. “The Sentry“ 05:22 2. “The Country Walk“ 09:02 3. “The Lady-In-Waiting“ 13:22 4. “To Be Sung on the Water“ 16:33 5. “The Phantom Queen“ 20:03 6. “The Counterfeit“ 21:56 7. “Country Dance“ 26:37 8. “The Review“ ***This video was premiered on YouTube on December 1, 2021. During the premiere we were joined by five past “Mad Kings” in the Live Chat: Holger Falk, Thomas Florio, Leigh Melrose, Julian Otis, and Peter Tantsits. Click “SHOW CHAT REPLAY“ in the top right corner next to this video to see live commentary and musical insights from Boosey & Hawkes and our special guests. ================= Purchase the recording: Purchase the Study Score: Learn more about the piece: ================= About “Eight Songs for a Mad King“ “This Emperor was mad; and at times he knew it, and wept.“ -- Randolph Stow, Librettist of “Eight Songs for a Mad King“ 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. The string and woodwind players are the captives of his insanity, intended to play from within giant cages, while the percussionist is his keeper, holding him within the confines of a maddened musical sensibility. But all the musicians are essentially projections from within his own mind. The focus is always on him, and on his wild vocal performances, which include various kinds of Sprechgesang, chords and a range of over four octaves. The virtuosity of the instrumentalists is no less, nor that of the composer in playing spikily over a range of eighteenth-century references. [Note by by Paul Griffiths] Music: Eight Songs for a Mad King Composed by Peter Maxwell Davies Text by Randolph Stow and George III Performed by Julius Eastman, voice; The Fires of London; and Peter Maxwell Davies, conductor Recording courtesy of Treasure Island Music #BHStudyScore