Audio CD review:
Julius Eastman, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Jonathan Williams [cello], Jonathan Williams [horn], Alan Hacker, David Campbell, Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Davies, Peter Maxwell Davies, Fires of London - Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King for male voice & chamber; Miss Donnithorne's Maggot

Julius Eastman, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Jonathan Williams [cello], Jonathan Williams [horn], Alan Hacker, David Campbell, Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Davies, Peter Maxwell Davies, Fires of London - Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King for male voice & chamber; Miss Donnithorne's Maggot

Band: Julius Eastman, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Jonathan Williams [cello], Jonathan Williams [horn], Alan Hacker, David Campbell, Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Davies, Peter Maxwell Davies, Fires of London Title: Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King for male voice & chamber; Miss Donnithorne's Maggot Rating: Release Date: 07 December, 1993 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Miss Donnithornes' Maggot 2: Eight Songs For A Mad King

Customer Reviews Terrifying I'd say about once every ten years is a good estimate of how often it should be heard. i have listened to the "Eight Songs" three times in my life. i cannot imagine what it must be like live. I have seen Marat/Sade live, and it was overwhelming, but it's not in the same league with this stuff. Forget Saint-Saens or Mussorgsky, "Eight Songs" is the best Halloween piece ever. If you like contemporary music or just want to be scared out of your wits, you must have this album. Even if you decide not to buy it, I urge you to give it a listen. Your life will never be quite the same again. I promise. Assaultive. With much assaultiveness. Assaultively assaultive. This album is almost completely unlistenable. Eight Songs For a Mad King is one of the most excruciating pieces written for male voice I have ever heard. I have seen this album, employed on a college campus, as follows: when the party was over, and it was time for people to go home, you put this album on. Within 20 minutes- no matter how diehard the guests, no matter how much booze- everyone was gone. I cannot recommend this album for any purpose other than audial torture. Amazing I say that in the most complimentary way - far-reaching avant-garde music that is purposeful and energetic and balanced musically and theatrically (as both of these pieces strike me as theatrical as much as they are musical). Both pieces, particularly the "Mad King" are wonderfully excrutiating. I don't know what kind of career David Campbell had after this recording was made (in the 70's, I think), but this piece sounds EXTREMELY TAXING vocally, if not ruinous to the voice. He is superb with this difficult piece, though, despite the challenges, and the recording has been engineered very well. . You can see a complete list of all Julius Eastman, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Jonathan Williams [cello], Jonathan Williams [horn], Alan Hacker, David Campbell, Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Davies, Peter Maxwell Davies, Fires of London discography, or go back to the Julius Eastman, Jennifer Ward Clarke, Jonathan Williams [cello], Jonathan Williams [horn], Alan Hacker, David Campbell, Peter Maxwell Davies, Peter Davies, Peter Maxwell Davies, Fires of London tabs