There has been incredible hype surrounding the appearance of the softly spoken, willowy and scruffy figure who slunk, very quietly, on stage at the Oval Space. Performing with cello-octet, Cellophony, British folk-rock musician Keaton Henson played a selection of tracks from his most recent instrumental album, Romantic Works. Rarely interviewed and even more rarely seen live, Henson cuts an elusive figure. Despite having gained a loyal following since the release of his albums Dear and Birthdays, Henson, a long-term sufferer of severe anxiety, shies from the limelight.
Romantic Works is a nine-track album of instrumental pieces, inspired by the likes of Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Henryk Górecki and Edward Elgar. Henson mixes sparse and haunting snippets of acoustic instruments, keyboard melodies and sampled sounds to beautiful effect. Performed live, however, arranged (by Ren Ford) and broken down to its most basic foundations, the album failed to move. Cellophony’s performance, too, was uneven and, at times, out of tune. Despite the intimate setting, the cellos were miked up, compromising the ensemble. Henson’s performance, however, was sensitive; the fragility and vulnerability in his playing, caused by his stage fright, was compelling.
The second half was billed as a multisensory performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, with interludes by Henson. Alongside the music (provided by violin soloist Alexander Sitkovetsky), scent, taste, lighting and effects were promised. Most of these additional elements were underwhelming. The lighting was especially disappointing: out of time with the music, it was distracting and lacked imagination. Sitkovetsky’s performance was brilliantly fiery and energetic but was impaired by the use, again, of microphones, which replaced the natural resonance of his instrument with a jarring reverb effect. Henson’s pre-recorded interludes were entrancingly eerie, yet they struggled to merge and communicate with the Vivaldi.
Unfortunately, although isolated parts of the evening could be considered a success, the event lacked an overall sense of unity.
