Name: James Lisney – A Musical Offering
Start: 2025-12-04T19:30:00
Location: The Stoller Hall

James Lisney

The Stoller Hall

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.

Manchester Camerata: 8 Songs for a Mad King

Beethoven’s late sonatas sit at the centre of this rich programme of masterpieces, not the least of which is the ricercar that Bach performed for Frederick the Great in Potsdam in 1747. “Old Bach of Leipzig” improvised on the King’s theme while using a newly developed fortepiano; the finished composition can thus lay claim to be the first major piano work.