Memory Unwrapped: Manchester Camerata - Eight Songs for a Mad King

Broken sounds and broken instruments: an uncompromising portrayal of the mind.

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 ensemble’s musicians becoming projections from within his own mind.

In our interpretation of this shocking masterwork, the protagonist role of King George III will be brought to life by the Mezzo-Soprano Idunnu Münch. Through her performance, she gives voice to the narratives surrounding mental illness, particularly those shaped by the female experience.

Schumann was to spend his final years in an asylum; he was 46 at the time of his death. Fittingly, in hindsight, it is hard for us to resist hearing a foreshadowing of doom in the uncanny lilting march of the concluding section of Kreisleriana.

Brace yourself for this theatre classic, where the music doesn’t just speak, it screams, whispers, and unravels at the brink of madness.

This event will last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including an interval.