Enthusiastic response to live stream The Mad King

A Colorful and Contemporary Theatrical Experience

Stefano Simone Pintor directed this vibrant and timely theatrical experience, in which a powerful man in isolation battles his delusions by teaching melodies to his songbirds. A mysterious guest arrives, and extraordinary sounds emerge. The production is based on Eight Songs for a Mad King by Peter Maxwell Davies, which we enriched in this new, equally oppressive and exuberant staging with music by Handel, along with arrangements and a soundscape by Brendan Faegre, under the musical direction of Hernán Schvartzman.

“Lavishly staged and musically powerful production” (O-Ton)

In the evocative set designed by Herbert Janse, we saw singer Charles Johnston, the musicians of the New European Ensemble, and mime artist Bodine Sutorius, who portrayed both the favorite bird and later the ominous intruder. Opera Now journalist Robert Hugill noted in his online review: “Gorgeously designed” and “the visuals were superb.” Il Giornale della Musica praised the musicians, saying they were “fantastically dressed as birds” by costume designer Mirjam Pater, while Germany’s O-Ton highlighted the “high musical level.” Theaterkrant wrote about the “remarkable, cacophonic bird universe,” and Opera Magazine described it as a “mad world […] with ghostly birds.” NRC observed: “Musicians as caged birds—could there be a more symbolic image in pandemic times?”

“An extraordinary actor and singer” (Groene Amsterdammer)

Baritone Charles Johnston received widespread acclaim for his outstanding performance. Theaterkrant wrote: “Seemingly effortless, Johnston maneuvers between the lowest and highest reaches of his vocal range.” Robert Hugill called his performance “bravura and rather disturbing,” while NRC remarked: “Manic roaring and screaming, lunatic murmuring, animalistic throat sounds—Johnston masters it all and then effortlessly pulls a flowing Handel aria from his tattered sleeve.” During the tour, Charles Johnston alternates the role with Dutch baritone Wiebe-Pier Cnossen.

A Stroke of Genius (NRC)

In all our productions, we seek ways to present existing works from a fresh perspective. Here, Eight Songs for a Mad King became an organic part of an entirely new musical and theatrical universe—the world of a mentally and physically caged man. We extended Maxwell Davies’ creative process by incorporating Handel’s music and a narrative that resonates with our own time. Critics engaged extensively with this innovative approach to the repertoire, with many praising composer Brendan Faegre’s ability to create a new musical unity. “Striking are the many short glissandi and the feverishly intertwining motifs, which align well with the original by Davies,” wrote Theaterkrant. This publication, along with Place de l’Opéra, also defended the traditional way of performing the piece, which remains valuable. For others, however, this new experiment was “a stroke of genius” (NRC). The international website Bachtrack awarded the production the maximum five stars, writing: “A performance of Eight Songs that diverges significantly from the original yet comes closer to portraying a confused mind than any production that strictly adheres to Peter Maxwell Davies’ music. A textbook example of what makes OPERA2DAY unique: the fusion of good old opera with our contemporary world.”