Videos: ‘Ein Heldenleben’ E Flat Clarinet Excerpts

Alright, before we go any further let me address the elephant in the room. You may have noticed that this blog is looking a little different from usual. Well that’s because, in a frankly thrilling burst of proactivity, I have finally got round to migrating the whole thing from Blogger to WordPress, meaning that it is all now full integrated into my website! Hooray! It’s still a bit of a work in progress I admit, so please forgive me if things are looking a bit rough at the moment. I’ll spruce it up properly before you know it, and then we’ll all be able to enjoy the blissful sense of everything being in the same place.

But now, on to the main topic of this post! The other week I played Eb clari for a performance of Richard Strauss’ egomaniacal epic ‘Ein Heldenleben’ in Stockport. It’s not often I get to play the tiny squeak machine in a legitimate context, so I made the most of the occasion and got some video clips during the rehearsal. If you’ve ever wondered, then, what such music sounds like from the perspective of the high woodwinds, now is your chance to find out. Also, as an added bonus you get the pleasure of watching my facial expression cloud over every time I fudge a note! Not that that ever happens of course.

First up, some bits from ‘The Hero’s enemies’, in which the Eb clari does what it does best by being as irritating and obnoxious as possible:

And then there’s ‘The Hero’s deeds of war’, an extended battle scene which may sound oddly familiar to anyone who knows ‘TIE Fighter Attack’ from the Star Wars Episode IV soundtrack:

New Music Monday, #7: ‘World Without Sand’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to confront your deep-seated irrational phobias because it’s…



What’s it called?
World Without Sand

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
Professor-Roy-Chapman-Andrews-But-You-Can-Call-Me-Roy-Chapman-Andrews has just been summoned to Professor Bodkin’s office and been tasked with travelling all the way to the Gobi Desert, to work out why the university meat supply has suddenly dried up. But Roy has a secret which means this assignment may not be his cup of tea (or freshly-squeezed Bovril).

Listen out for…
Roy’s parodying of Winston Churchill in his “We will fight the beaches” speech. Also, the frankly divine lyric “If you send me to Mongolia I’ll be filled with melancholia; To make me go to Asia – I can’t think of anything crazier.”

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

New Music Monday, #6: ‘Untitled Worm Song (Part I)’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to empathise with the world’s most unloved creature because it’s…



What’s it called?
Untitled Worm Song (Part I)

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
This song turns up towards the end of the musical, when at long last Professor-Roy-Chapman-Andrews-But-You-Can-Call-Me-Roy-Chapman-Andrews and Sheriff come face to face with the fearsome worm that has been causing so much trouble. But when given an opportunity to tell his own side of the story, it becomes apparent that the Mongolian Death Worm maybe isn’t all as bad as people make out.

Listen out for…
The thoroughly gratuitous key change at 3:05 – because it wouldn’t be a musical without excessive unnecessary key changes!

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

New Music Monday, #5: ‘Say Hello To Yellow’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to question your colour perception because it’s…



What’s it called?
Say Hello To Yellow

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
It’s a well-known fact that yellow is the favourite colour of the Mongolian Death Worm (seriously, look it up – this puppet show is inspired by real events I tell you!). Therefore, in a bid to trap the fearsome creature, the local sheriff has assembled a whole series of appropriately-coloured objects to act as bait. Or so he thinks…

Listen out for…
The pleasingly homophonous lyric “We’ll be mustered by this mustard,” which we’re all very very proud of.

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

Film Music: ‘Shibil’ AND ‘The Foundling’, Re-Scored by Michael A. Grant

Awards season is well and truly upon us, with all the big film studios releasing their proudest creations in the hope of securing some of those nice shiny little statues we so lovingly call ‘Oscar’ (and friends). Therefore it seems like a good time to share a couple of modest projects I had a a go at last year, where my task was to write brand new music for existing film clips, in the hope of winning some competitions.
 

Shibil

This is a short excerpt from a Bulgarian film that I know little-to-nothing about, other than that it won a lot of awards and appears to feature many horses. Musically I have tried to capture the expansiveness and vastness of the landscapes as well as a certain epic mythical quality that seems to be prevalent.
 

The Foundling

This one is not just a clip but an entire short film, so you get to appreciate a full mini-story from beginning to middle to end. I’ve woven together three main strands for the music:

1) A solo gypsy-esque violin to both represent the mother character and evoke the overall nomadic traveller’s lifestyle.
2) A large, slightly discordant woodwind section to mimic the sound of a fairground organ and bring us into the world of the circus.
3) A traditional string section to give weight and feeling to the deeper, more emotive moments.
 

‘Stockport Symphony Orchestra’ Concert, This Saturday!

I’m delighted to be making my debut performance with the fantastic Stockport Symphony Orchestra this Saturday (28th) at 7:30 pm in Stockport Town Hall. I’ve been drafted in to play the teeny tiny Eb clarionet for one of the more large-scale works in the symphonic repertoire – come along and watch!

But what is the piece? Well, rather than telling you, I thought it would be more fun to do a little video and see if you can work out what it is I’m practising. I hope you enjoy, and if you do get stuck just remember that all the answers are on the orchestra’s website!
 

 stockportsymphony.co.uk

 

New Music Monday, #4: ‘Something About Buckwheat’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepare to be well and truly weirded out because it’s…



What’s it called?
Something About Buckwheat

What’s it from?
This is the third (and longest) single from the most absurd band you’ve never heard of, ‘The Atwood Project’. This ‘band’ is essentially an excuse for me and my regular collaborator Mister James Ure to let our hair down and be as relentlessly peculiar as we want, by taking a title suggestion from an innocent member of the public and using it as inspiration for a surreal comedic musical dreamscape.

What’s it all about?
Buckwheat (duh).

Listen out for…
The instrumentation – every non-vocal noise you hear was generated using something we found in the kitchen. Also note that the structure of the song exactly reproduces that of the Wikipedia article about buckwheat (right down to the ‘See Also’ and ‘References’ sections at the end).

Find out more at…
You don’t seriously want to find out more do you? I suppose you could watch the music video, if you really must:
 

New Music Monday, #3: ‘The Lucky Ones’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepared to see both sides of the argument because it’s…



What’s it called?
The Lucky Ones.

What’s it from?
My 2019 ragtime musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, which tells the story of four old friends who wake up one morning to discover they are the only people remaining on planet Earth.

What’s it all about?
Now that civilisation-as-we-know-it has come to an abrupt end, our four protagonists have decided to move onto a farm and try their hands at an agricultural lifestyle. But is this the start of a blissful carefree existence, or a new living hell? Let Gary and Joe take you through the pros and cons…

Listen out for…
The end section (3:55 onwards), where (as in all the best debates) both characters pretend to accept the other’s opinions while secretly resenting them for their idiocy.

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta

New Music Monday, #2: ‘The Ballad of the Mongolian Death Worm’

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And this week, prepared to be scared silly because it’s…



What’s it called?
The Ballad of the Mongolian Death Worm

What’s it from?
‘Mongolian Death Worm: A Puppet Show Musical’, the show what I wrote, starred in, directed, produced, edited etc. with my regular collaborator Mister James Ure during the first national lockdown in 2020. It’s a full 68 minutes of silliness, centring around the search for a mysterious creature that has been pilfering steaks from a village community somewhere near the Gobi Desert.

What’s it all about?
This song sets the stage for the entire musical, giving each of the Mongolian villagers a chance to sing about how their lives have been blighted by an elusive giant worm called ‘Olgoi Khorkhoi’.

Listen out for…
The blatant parodying of Sondheim’s ‘The Ballad of Sweeney Todd’, for one thing. Also, note how most of the things the villagers refer to aren’t actually that threatening – “You’ll have to waltz to the hospital”, “You won’t be able to stand for a week”. Apparently the Sheriff even managed to get him behind bars – “I even made him spend the night in jail”!

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/mdw

New Music Monday, #1: ‘Overture’

It’s the start of a new year, and therefore methinks it’s time for a new regular feature on my blog. Hence I would like to introduce… ‘New Music Monday’!

Every Monday throughout 2023 I will be highlighting a different piece of music that I have either written or been closely involved with. And what better way to start the year than with an overture?



What’s it called?
Overture.

What’s it from?
My 2019 ragtime musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, which tells the story of four old friends who wake up one morning to discover they are the only people remaining on planet Earth.

What’s it all about?
This piece provides a grand opening to the musical, in the form of a big instrumental medley incorporating many of the tunes that will turn up later in the show.

Listen out for…
The scene-setting sound effects at the beginning, which are meant to give the impression of someone coming across a piano and trying out a few random notes, before suddenly breaking into a dazzling 2-piano extravaganza!

Find out more at…
www.michaelgrantmusician.com/inrta