Name: Peter Moore Trio
Start: 2025-01-22T19:30:00
Location: The Stoller Hall

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

Trombonist Peter Moore is joined by mezzo-soprano Anna Huntley and pianist Michael McHale to perform their own arrangement of music by Schumann, Schubert and more, followed by a set of lighter works by Novello, Kurt Weil, and Manning Sherwin.