Watch this intimate performance by songwriter and composer Keaton Henson, filmed in an old army base garage in the UK. This performance is part of the long-running Mahogany Sessions series, which has played host to such notable artists as Billie Eilish, James Bay, and Hozier. Keaton performs the movement ‘Impromptu On A Theme’ from his orchestral album Six Lethargies on the piano, accompanied by cellist Ren Ford.
About Keaton Henson & Six Lethargies
UK-based Keaton Henson is a multi-faceted artist whose work creativity extends across many different artforms, including illustration and poetry as well as music. Mercury KX has exclusively signed Keaton to release his classical works. His album Six Lethargies, comprised of an original composition for orchestra performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 2019 by label Mercury KX.
Six Lethargies was the culmination of over three years of work by Keaton, who struggles to perform live due to anxiety and panic disorders. The work is composed around, and from within, issues of mental illness and human emotion. The piece aims to express and explain the experience of anxiety and trauma through six interconnected movements.
Keaton rose from self-imposed obscurity to gaining an international cult following thanks to his critically acclaimed bedroom recorded debut album Dear. The success of his second album Birthdays led to increased pressure for Keaton to perform live, something he had vowed not to do, due to his private nature and on-going anxiety. However, despite this, Keaton eventually began performing via projector from another room, to very rare intimate shows after-hours in museums, churches and cathedrals.
Keaton then made an unexpected turn, retreating from the spotlight to learn composition, arranging and the creation of classical and instrumental music. This eventually led to the release of his third studio album Romantic Works – an album of instrumental works for piano and strings that was created at home with cellist Ren Ford. Dubbed “bedroom classical”, Romantic Works is a minimalist but emotional album. The project culminated in a performance at London’s Roundhouse.
Alongside his albums and compositions, Keaton has released five books, held solo exhibitions of his visual art internationally, scored music for ballet and film, and releases warped experimental electronic album under the alias Behaving.