March 23^rd, 2018

Eight guest artists perform Peter Maxwell Davies’ Eight Songs for a Mad King!

In this 1969 landmark musical and theatrical portrayal of delusion, English King George III talks, sings, and screams to his “birds” (instrumentalists) as he loses grip on reality. This stunning portrayal of descent into madness predates the 1994 feature film The Madness of King George and the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.

AFM welcomes the Boston-based Callithumpian Consort contemporary music ensemble to Anchorage:

Brian Church, baritone
Jessi Rosinski, flute
Gleb Kanasevich, clarinet
Gabriela Díaz, violin
David Russell, cello
Jeff Means, percussion
Yukiko Takagi, piano
Stephen Drury, conductor

The program opens with Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano by Charles Ives. This three-movement work quotes traditional folk songs and hymns, such as “Long, Long, Ago,” “My Old Kentucky Home,” and “Rock of Ages.”

Eight Songs for a Mad King is presented by Anchorage Festival of Music.