The Mad King (Pastiche) The Hague 2021 OPERA2DAY
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: The Mad King
- Composer: Peter Maxwell Davies, George Frideric Handel, Brendan Faegre
- Libretto: “Eight Songs for a Mad King” Julian Randolph Stowe, based on texts by King George III Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Royal Theater, Den Hague, The Netherlands
- Recorded: January 2021
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Charles Johnston, Wiebe Pier Cnossen
- Conductor: Hernán Schvartzman
- Orchestra: New European Ensemble
- Stage Director: Stefano Simone Pintor
- Stage Designer: Herbert Janse
- Costume Designer: Mirjam Pater
- Lighting Designer: Uri Rapaport
Information about the Recording
- Published by: OPERA2DAY
- Date Published: 2021
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- This Recording is NOT AVAILABLE from a proper commercial or public source
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
In The Mad King, OPERA2DAY and the New European Ensemble treat the audience to an immersive and colourful theatre experience, in which a powerful man in isolation fights his delusions, a strange guest makes his entrance, wonderful sounds are heard and we are allowed to escape our isolation for a while in a corona-proof way on the wings of art.
Surrounded by his strange collection of birds, the man turns on his barrel organ and becomes inspired by the sound and color of strange mechanical instruments: anything to stifle the cackling voices in his head. But then a strange guest flies in. It is a migratory bird from Asia, which takes up residence in one of the cages and thus poses a threat to the magnificent songbirds. The beginning of a free fall, which forces him to face his fears, beliefs and habits.
Embedded in the performance are the legendary “Eight Songs for a Mad King” by composer Peter Maxwell Davies, which have their origins in history. He was inspired by George III of England, the monarch who, in addition to the American colonies, also lost his mind. For example, the king used the tunes from a mechanical organ to teach his collection of goldfinches to sing. In 1969, Peter Maxwell Davies transformed these melodies into a range of musical styles that form a poignant theatrical account of madness and insanity. These madcap and eccentric songs form the ultimate challenge for a baritone, who has to use his voice from terrifyingly high to heart-stoppingly low, and from whom extreme expressiveness is required.
In The Mad King by OPERA2DAY and the New European Ensemble, the eight songs resound amidst the fabulous fantasies of the isolated man. A leading role is reserved for the music of Georg Friedrich Händel, the court composer of George III. The music from his operas and oratorios, also full of birdsong and folk music, fits wonderfully into this story – arranged for a range of instruments (conventional and mechanical) that together bring the universe of The Mad King to life.
Italian Stefano Simone Pintor directs the performance. He previously wrote the libretto for the highly successful Vivaldi – Dangerous Liaisons for OPERA2DAY . Baritones Charles Johnston and Wiebe Pier Cnossen alternate as the maniacal man – surrounded by six caged musicians from the New European Ensemble. The musical direction is in the hands of Hernán Schvartzman; the design of the musical universe is by composer and arranger Brendan Faegre. Special to mention is the collaboration with Museum Speelklok – the specialist in the field of mechanical organs and musical instruments.
Quoted from OPERA2DAY