8 Songs for a Mad King

Fri 5 June 2026, 7:30pm,
Stoller Hall

Trigger warning; this concert suggests themes of suicide and mental health issues.

Broken sounds and broken instruments, an uncompromising portrayal of the mind.

This semi-staged concert is based on our preconceptions of mental illness, with each piece having a connection to the psychology of the mind – centred around Peter Maxwell Davies’ harrowing depiction of the ‘madness’ of King George III.

Maxwell Davies was a key member of the Manchester School of Composers, who reshaped the landscape of British music in the late 20th century. 8 Songs for a Mad King is a melodrama with a libretto based on the real-life observations of King George III, presenting an extravagant and disturbing portrayal of his condition.

Vocalising weirdly as he bemoans his fate, trying to teach his instrumentalist-birds to sing – our musicians becoming projections from within his own mind.

Fun fact: King George III is actually the same monarch who is featured in the hit musical, ‘Hamilton’ – portraying him in a completely different light.

In our interpretation of this shocking masterwork, the protagonist role of King George III will be brought to life by the Mezzo-Soprano Idunnu Münch. Through her performance, she gives voice to the narratives surrounding mental illness, particularly those shaped by the female experience.

By Gis and by Saint Charity is a short and effective setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, drawing us into Ophelia’s claustrophobic inner world.

Schumann was to spend his final years in an asylum; he was 46 at the time of his death. In hindsight, it is hard for us to resist hearing a foreshadowing of doom in the uncanny lilting march of the concluding section of Kreisleriana.

Brace yourself for this theatre classic, where the music doesn’t just speak, it screams, whispers, and unravels at the brink of madness.

Programme