Earlier today in the Classical 101 studios, madness reigned supreme.
Members of the New York City-based modern music collective Tenth Intervention stopped by our studios today to give us a preview of their concerts tonight and tomorrow evening in the Columbus area.
The performances feature Peter Maxwell Davies' landmark work Eight Songs for a Mad King and Tenth Intervention member Paul Pinto's work 15 Photos.
A landmark work at its premiere in 1969, Davies' Eight Songs for a Mad King is a harrowingly raw depiction of King George III's descent into madness.
Today, Pinto gave us just a taste of his interpretation of the mad king, bursting at the seams with grunts and moans, whistles and squeals and other noises that expand the limits of typical vocalism.
It was actually learning the role of the king in Eight Songs for a Mad King that, in part, inspired Pinto to compose 15 Photos, which he describes as a "companion piece" for Davies' work.
Pinto's 15 Photos pushes the extreme vocalism of Eight Songs for a Mad King even further, with timely texts that resonate with contemporary audiences.
In the video above, check out Pinto's performance with Tenth Intervention flutist Laura Cocks of "The Lady in Waiting (Miss Musgrave’s Fancy)" from Eight Songs for a Mad King, and of "On Boxing" from Pinto's own 15 Photos, with Cocks and clarinetist Ford Fourqurean.
Tenth Intervention performs tonight at 7:30 in the Columbus Performing Arts Center's Shedd Theatre and tomorrow evening at 7:30 in Dennison University's Burke Hall.
