Name: Alkyona Quartet
Start: 2026-01-12T19:00:00
Location: The Stoller Hall

The Stoller Hall

Alkyona Quartet

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

The Alkyona Quartet present fresh imaginative interpretations of both well-known and hidden gems of the string quartet repertoire. They are well known for their warm connection to audiences and vivacious performances. They released their debut album, Janáček’s ‘Intimate Letters’ String Quartet in June 2020, which they now perform for Manchester Chamber Concerts Society. This is the ultimate storytelling string quartet – Janacek’s musical love letter to his life’s love. The rest of this programme ranges from  17th Century Henry Purcell to a piece by  Dobrinka Tabakova, former Halle artist-in-residence 2022-2023. The concert opens with one of the  classic “Sun” string quartets by Haydn that earned him the name as “the father of string quartets”.