Peter Maxwell Davies

A ballet in two acts which premiered on the stage of the Royal Danish Theatre Copenhagen on 14th March 1991. Based on the true story of the sister of George III Caroline Mathilde (1751-1775) who at the age of 15 was sent toDenmark to marry the 17-year-old eccentric and schizophrenic Danish King Christian VII. The ballet portrays her unhappy marriage the King's growing madness and her fatal love-affair with Struensee the King's influentialphysician which leads to their arrest his execution and her exile at the age of 20 separated from her two young children.Written for full symphony orchestra and female chorus. Duration c. 2hrs 25mins.

The story centres on the English princess Caroline Mathilde (1751-1775) sister of George III who at the age of 15 was sent to Denmark to marry the 17-year-old eccentric and schizophrenic Danish King Christian VII. The balletportrays her unhappy marriage the King's growing madness and her fatal love-affair with Struensee the King's influential physician which leads to their arrest his execution and her exile at the age of 20 separated from hertwo young children.This suite begins with the act's opening number: a boisterous stamping dance to which the people rudely mock Queen Caroline Mathilde and her lover Struensee. After this comes a dark Adagio The Conspiracy in which the theme passes like persuasion from mouth to mouth its variations suggesting the different attitudes of the conspirators firmly controlled by the brass-driven gestures of the Queen Dowager. The conspiracy then worksitself out at a court masked ball from which the suite includes two dances: a gavotte and a slow lubricious passacaglia that is a pas de deux for Caroline Mathilde and Struensee. The Arrest comes with a gathering rush of musicthat envelops the King the Queen and Struensee leading to a vociferous climax in which they are held apart. In The Execution slow white music for wordless female voices harp and low strings is interrupted by pathetic alienated outbursts from the King. The suite ends as does the ballet with a quiet adagio lament for clarinets and alto flute as the Queen goes into exile.Score. Duration c. 33mins.

A short piece for small orchestra written in 1989 when the composer heard of Michael Vyner's death. Premiered in October 1989 at Glyndebourne Sussex by the London Sinfonietta and conducted by the composer just six days afterVyman's death.Approximately six minutes in duration it is based on the plainsong ‘Cor meum et caro mea exultaverunt in Deum vivum’ and is scored for two oboes two bassoons two horns two trumpets timpani and strings.

Chamber opera in a prologue and one act. A ghost story telling of the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers in the Hebrides. This is a mystery story in the form of a chamber opera. The prologue is set as acourt of enquiry into the unexplained disappearance of the three keepers from a lighthouse. Questions are posed by a solo horn which may sound from among the audience and three officers give answer. Gradually they move fromstraight testimony into fantastical imaginings of evil during a 'flashback' to the lighthouse; but then we snap back to the courtroom. In the main act the three singers become the vanished keepers. They have been together formonths long enough to be fully aware of each other's weaknesses; petty bickerings suggest a relationship which is stable but liable to become highly unstable at any moment. They sing songs to reduce the tension Blazes beginningwith a rough ballad of street violence accompanied by violin and banjo. Sandy's song with cello and out-of-tune upright piano is a thinly disguised description of sexual bliss and Arthur's with brass and clarinet is atub-thumping hymn. But the songs serve only to resurrect in their minds ghosts from the past and as the fog descends each of the keepers becomes convinced that he is being claimed by the Beast. They prepare to meet its dazzlingeyes which become the lights of the relief vessel and the three men reappear as officers met at the lighthouse only by an infestation of rats. They leave and at the end the last hours of Blazes Sandy and Arthur begin to playover again.Study Score. Duration c. 1h 25mins.

The No. 11 Bus is a music-theatre work in which musicians dancers and mime all play an equal part. It has been described as an apocalyptic comedy and both comic and terrifying elements should be exploited as far aspossible. The setting is a mythical journey of the No. 11 bus in London which runs between Liverpool Street and Hammersmith. This can be adapted to suit the needs of the particular group that is performing it.Words andmusic by Maxwell Davies with German translation by Gunther Bauer-Schenk. Duration c. 48mins.

The solo group consists of a sextet of the woodwind instruments which are normally doubled with more regular members of the orchestra: these six strangers now brought to the fore are piccolo and alto flute cor anglais Eb andbass clarinets and contrabassoon. They make a motley group diverse in colour as in register and one of the tasks of the piece sets itself is to have them blend and cohere both together as an ensemble and in partnership with thestring orchestra (which itself is used with unusual variety and subtlety). Another evident task of the work is to provide fine solos for each member of the woodwind sextet: bright dances for the piccolo recitatives for thealto flute a stoical song from the contrabassoon in the extreme bass. The work is cast as a single movement which begins in the composer's first-movement style of rapid regeneration. This is interrupted by slow interventions including one for divided strings which gives rise to a sextuple cadenza for the soloists. Out of this comes a slow movement or sequence of short slow movements followed by a dancing finale with its own slow episodes. Altogetherthis is music of songs and dances heavily tinged with Scottish rhythms and tonalities: one might think of a magic bagpipe having six chanters and a drone of variegated string texture.This work for woodwind instruments andstring orchestra was commissioned by the Strathclyde Regional Council and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It is the ninth of ten concerti to be written for principal players of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The first performancewas given in February 1995 by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by the composer.