EightSongsforaMadKing

This new production by New Zealand Opera sees a King in distress transformed into a modern corporate everyman as a disarming device to explore our complicated relationship with mental health and power. As an added twist, you will experience the action both up close, and from outside with only a window separating you and the King.

Maxwell Davies’ iconic score derives from the songs King George III played on his mechanical organ and attempted to train his bullfinches to sing. The music requires a baritone of extraordinary technique to sing over five octaves, with New Zealander Robert Tucker fit for the challenge. Partnering with ground-breaking contemporary music ensemble Stroma, conducted by Hamish McKeich, this modern take on opera promises to be a bold and immersive experience.

Note: Contains themes relating to mental distress