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The Ghost of Marie Henderson

11/3/2014

 
With my eyes closed, I sense her presence and hear a faint murmur, a sound that cascades into a tune. 
This is an overdubbed improvisation in memory of Marie Henderson. A footnote in British theatre history, but in her time (1860-1880) and place (Royal Colosseum, Britannia and Elephant and Castle Theatres) she was a potent force in the world of melodrama. 
This orchestration celebrates the public and private life of Marie Henderson. 
The first section evokes the power of her performance in the smash hit of 1863: Faith, Hope and Charity. Marie plays Faith, a young clerical widow, cheated out of a property lease and who dies of a broken heart. She returns to haunt the treacherous aristocrat. He repeatedly stabs her image, but as with all good ghosts, she cannot be vanquished. This production employed the latest technological craze of the Victorian stage - Professor Pepper's optical illusion for stage ghosts.  
Glockenspiel and bells strike notes of tension or release, delicate or harsh surfaces that play off harp, French horn, strings and clarinet. 
For the finale, we find Marie Henderson in 1882 acting out her death. The actress had contracted syphillis (undiagnosed at the time) and ended her days in Bedlam Hospital with her husband by her side. 
An electric guitar sets the otherworldly tempo and is a poignant farewell to a theatrical force that had once captured the imagination of Liverpool and London theatre goers. 
I feel a tremendous affinity with the psychological soundscapes of Nordic music. Reference points for this composition are Sibelius 5th symphony and ECM Records Terje Rypal's Avskjed. 
Detailed blog entry on Marie Henderson. 
Picture
Christopher Carter
11/3/2014 07:51:01

Wonderfully engrossing in it's storytelling. Really enjoyed listening to the dichotomy of the music and the biography of Marie Henderson. Is some of the work you do inspired by the Victorian music hall and theatre?

Constantine Gras link
11/3/2014 09:55:32

Hi Christopher.
Many thanks for the positive feedback.
It's only in the last year, that I've been researching theatre and connecting it with my first love, cinema. This is all original research into a lost Victorian actress. I'm currently working out how best to construct an art project around it. My ultimate aim is to make a narrative film.
At the moment, I'm working on a screenplay loosely based on the life of Tod Slaughter which covers the theatre and film link. But really interested in other multi-media applications and possibly having community input. Also I welcome any other ideas or suggestions for collaboration. Watch these spaces to see the project develop.
All the best
Constantine.


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