The Duke of Burgundy, a Peter Stickland film examining relationships, was released in 2014 to critical acclaim. Alongside that, Cat’s Eyes accompanying soundtrack also drew five star reviews. So, an opportunity to see the score being played live alongside an airing of the film in the opulent surrounds of the Brighton Dome is not to be sniffed at.

Cat’s Eyes are an interesting duo – Faris Badwan (The Horrors’ frontman) and soprano, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Rachel Zeffira form a somewhat unlikely twosome, but they clearly work well together – again, with very positive press surrounding their EP and Album releases.

The first thing that strikes me is the unobtrusive nature of the score, and this is evident throughout the film – with visuals so rich or imagery so strong, it makes sense to have underlying music that supplements, rather than dominates. Whether the music’s relationship with the film is a deliberate mirroring of the sub/domination relationship of the principle characters, I don’t know, but it works nicely.

The instrumentation used is consistent throughout – strings, brass, woodwind and detailed analogue synth atmospherics all play supporting roles to harpsichord and ethereal vocals. The score’s main theme, which features at various points, has a calming pastoral quality to it and a certain comforting familiarity. The general feel seems well-considered, as not only is the film a feast for the eyes, but also incredibly detailed for the ear. A great deal of care has been made to capture tiny aural details that add another dimension of texture – the purring of a cat, the sound of a brush on a carpet, fingers on fabric or the creaking of a floorboard. The score respects those details and leaves them the requisite space to flourish.

The vocals throughout are dreamlike in their execution but it’s ultimately the perfection of the playing and its production that I end up wrestling with. Other than hearing the flutist’s intake of breath, the whole affair lacks human imperfection and feels slightly flat because of it. I knew that I wasn’t going to be seeing something reminiscent of The Bays’ live accompaniment of Run, Lola, Run (which opened the festival in 2007), but this isn’t quite the live experience I’d hope for – mainly because it doesn’t feel very live.

As a result, there is a somewhat underwhelming stream to the experience as a whole, but I don’t think it’s the musicians’ fault – they faithfully recreated the score with elegance and poise. And, the score works well with the film. And, I do like the film – the performances are good, the cinematography is stunning in parts, the narrative and the examination of the relationship are all interesting and thought-provoking. I just wonder if this was the right combination to translate into a live experience?

Adam Atkins

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