Peter Maxwell Davies (born 1934) - Eight Songs for a Mad King (with subtitles)
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- čas přidán 3. 04. 2015
- PLEASE NOTE: This performance includes subtitles - the same performance without subtitles is available on our CZcams Channel
The sound recording of this performance was supervised by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Filmed on 31st March 2012 at the Digital Performance Lab, the University of Salford, Media City UK.
PSAPPHA ENSEMBLE
with Kelvin Thomas, soloist
Conrad Marshall - flute
Dov Goldberg - clarinet
Richard Casey - piano
Tim Williams - percussion / cimbalom
Benedict Holland - violin
Jennifer Langridge - cello
Peter Maxwell Davies - Eight Songs for a Mad King
1. The Sentry (King Prussia's Minuet)
2. The Country Walk (La Promenade)
3. The Lady-in-Waiting (Miss Musgrave's Fancy)
4. To be Sung on the Water (The Waterman)
5. The Phantom Queen (He's ay a-kissing me)
6. The Counterfeit (Le Contrefaite)
7. Country Dance (Scotch Bonnett)
8. The Review (a Spanish March)
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. - Hudba
![Peter Maxwell Davies - Eight Songs for a Mad King for Baritone and Ensemble (1969) [Score-Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KgCstNqsu8Y/mqdefault.jpg)
"Look honey, they're playing our song!"
I usually never laugh. I am German. Now I had to laugh. I hate it.
I'm a musician suffering from schizophrenia, and I can say that at least for me, this work does remind me of what I often hear inside my head. I don't think this is "making fun of" people with mental disorders; rather, I think this could be a means for "ordinary" people to sort of understand why mental disorders can be so tormenting and debilitating for those who need to deal with them every day.
Kevin Wang DONT worry, be happy
wow, ineteresting
Is there an analysis that reads the piece this way? There are playful moments, yes, but as a whole this feels like a lament. The King could not overcome the internal strife caused by "madness", suggesting that the narrative of this piece takes place before any kind of broad understanding of mental illness was established. However one views the earlier movements, the piece concludes in true melancholy; the Death of the King speech is muddled by the same invasive thoughts as earlier, as though we are trying to remember the man who he was before he succumbed to his terminal illness.
I fundamentally agree with this piece as a catalyst for Understanding: anyone with a disorder that causes distorted or invasive thoughts can find something in here that is recognizable. Those with a loved one who have a disease that slowly disables the mind may also see the fullness of it reflected: the moments of seeming clarity, and the sometimes accidental lights one needs to see the person they remember.
The glossolalia into intelligible speech during The Lady-In-Waiting hits especially close to me (begins at 9:22 )
3 minutes in and I like this..even without knowing the backstory...
But in saying that I would not want to hear this inside my head nonstop.
Best to you. I mean that!!!!
My thoughts are confusing enough at times...without benefit of schizophrenia.
This is absolutely terrifying and very well done.
It reminds me of the quote "art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable"
the quote to which you refer is not about art but about the press (or, nowadays, the media)
This is the smoothest jazz I've ever heard.
Disturbingly Delightful!! If 2020 was a piece of music for sure, this would be its anthem!
R.I.P. To a fantastic composer.
Wow this was powerful. Left me with tears.
ps. definitely watch with some high quality headphones that allow you to hear every single detail in the music!
I like this Hamilton song,shame that they didn't put it in the final musical
I have been enthralled and fascinated by this incredible piece since first seeing a performance by John d'Armand at UMass Amherst nigh on 50 years ago. A devastating portrayal of madness, it is undoubtedly one of the most powerful theater pieces of the 20th century.
Went to see it in Wellington .when we sat outside with earphones you didn’t get so much of the passion and angst but when we went inside it really affected me. Seeing a man play mad .such a talented singer
😊😊I'm very pls to know I'm not the only one that loves😍 👆 the song but when last did you play it
BRILLIANT! I was sucked into this incredible performance, what a wonderful composition all together! Very satisfied, the best piece of modern music I've heard in a while! What a Libretto!
Are you high? xD
a masterwork and a master performance of it. It was hard for me to believe there could be an equal performance to Julius Eastman but this is it then some.
Thank you for your very kind comment.
classical music is so relaxing
Some of the songs are extremely melodical, this work is damn beautiful
RIP Max you were a God and a beautiful friend I hope something beyond this life gathers such passion and ideas as yours x
I came for the "purposeful destruction of violin"
I was not disappointed
21:47
Waste of a violin
the violinist afterwards: 👁💧👄💧👁
I also came from the 2set violin channel
@@That1Guygames916 Where did they mention this?
Excellent performance of a brilliant, creative, and difficult (on many levels) piece.
What a wonderful music! Bravi!
superb!
its so beautiful
Oh my god those harmonies
I want to cronch them they're so good
I've once seen this video before(acts by Mr.Kelvin Thomas) in CZcams, perhaps in last year. But when I searched it again a few days ago, how strange, I could not find it anywhere....And now, it appears again...haha! A very nice video.....Thanks!
Thanks so much for posting this truly extraordinary performance.
pjc1954 very pleased you enjoyed it!
It's also worth hearing Kelvin Thomas' interview on the piece.
Terrific masterpiece.
This is like me on a hyper day...
RIP to a great librettist
This must have killed him.
To think this dude was 93 years old singing and acting like a madman! What a tragic story this told!
It gets more brilliant and poignant the more I watch it.
21:40 if you came to watch a violin get smashed
👏🏼
im starting to think the guy singing is actually crazy
That's how you know he's doing his job right!
sonic brilliance
11 177 2022
is this loss
God, what a great song, and shows how professional they are, that they could just keep playing and stay on rhythm and beat when that random old crazy guy got on stage and started screaming about cabbages and talking to remember.
/j
No it really is a talent, I would have laughed if he started at me straight in the face and started yelling
4:25
21:46 onwards - original on-stage musical instrument smasher! (way before Pete Townshend if we allow this modern work to exist in 1814 world!)
Respect to the violin tho.
English please.
@@kiereluurs1243 thats already english what do you mean?
Cool!
Music
I'm not a fan of classical music at all, and I have no idea how this ended up in my recommended. That said, I found this both highly unsettling and strangely beautiful.
Y se quejan de anime haha.
???
@@WEEBLLOM weebllom
8 Songs for Donald Trump
He will die howling
@@brycezimmerman7689 Politics and art are inextricably tied to one another.
More like 8 songs for Adam Schitt & Jeffrey Epstein #KAG2020
Peter Thoegersen HA HA SO FUNNT TRUMF STOOPID HA HA SO HILARIOUS
Jesus Christ, will you self-righteous assholes shut the fuck up already?
@@brycezimmerman7689 🖕
Sorry, I did not mean to get carried away. It is just that I thought this was making fun of the poor king and people like him, and I did not like the smashing violin. It hurts me to think about it. I was just mad and was expressing my opinion to broadly.
Caroleena Fernandez In the libretto its actually written "take violin from violinist" and "smash violin." The notes also suggest the performance to be done with a low-quality violin hidden.
Even thought i understand why you feel hurt by watching someone smashing a violin its In this case just another way of expressing the decadence of his mental illness.. i do belive the way the composer could illustrate / transform the madness of King George III of England into music / performance really brilliant!
Well this just my of appreciating it :)
Oh dear, feeling hurt by watching someone smash a violin! That takes 'snowflake' to new levels!
You're supposed to feel hurt. This is meant to be ugly and moving. Its supposed to punch you in the gut and kick you when you are down. I suffered mental illness and find this to be not disrespectful, but a passionate musical representation of a broken mind.
Arty farty, in nowadays words.
Rubbish.
It's immature to just say that it's rubbish without explaining why. Can you explain why you dislike it so you can actually add something intelligent to the discussion?
ok boomer
I've had patients just like this. Put to some pretty great music here..knowing the backstory as he tries to teach nonspeaking birds to talk is very nice..
You're rubbish