Gypsy, in Westcliff, 8th-11th November

This coming week sees me embarking on an epic adventure to Westcliff, to perform as part of Little Theatre Company’s production of ‘Gypsy’ at the Palace Theatre. Come along and let me entertain you by playing a lot of flute, a fair bit of alto saxomophone, more piccolo than is tasteful (i.e. any at all), and some of the sleaziest clarinet you’re ever likely to hear!

Gypsy
Wednesday 8th November – Saturday 11th November
7:30, with 2:30 matinees on 9th and 11th
Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, SS0 9LA
For further information, click here.
 

 
Note that I will not be performing in this on Thursday 9th November as I have a gig elsewhere, which I may or may not tell you about depending on whether I want anybody to turn up. Instead, the Reed 1 Gypsy duties on that day will be fulfilled by the man, the myth, the legend that is Mr. Wes Frankel.

Things for you to watch and listen to

The dark nights are drawing in, the leaves are falling off the trees, there’s a distinct chill in the air and The X Factor is in full flow. Pretty miserable, wouldn’t you agree? So to cheer you up, here are some videos that you’ll really enjoy, assuming you are a fan of the music of Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers and Yours Truly!

First up, here’s a thing that surfaced recently on YouTube. It’s a clip from Bloomsbury Opera’s production of ‘Trouble in Tahiti’, for which I played many varied clarinets earlier this year. Sit back and enjoy Rebecca Cuddy’s superb performance of ‘There Is a Garden’:
 
https://youtu.be/I2VUeMuJU_g
My second video is more for the clarinet nerds, or for people who demand proof of my ability on said instrument. It’s me playing the Clarinet 1 part for ‘The Carousel Waltz’, hot off the press from last night’s rehearsal:
 

Video number three (although it’s really just an audio recording with a picture) is new music! It’s the sixth in my series of twelve pieces for solo piano, which I’ve chosen to call ‘Dusk Descends’, on the basis that I had to call it something and ‘Number 6’ isn’t a very good title. If you enjoy it, please show your appreciation by sending me lots of money. If you don’t enjoy it, please show your dissatisfaction by sending me lots of money.
 

[EDIT 27/3/2023: Sadly this video is no longer available, however fear not! You can listen to the entire recording of ‘Dusk Descends’ – which I’ve since renamed to ‘Obfuscation’, arguably the best title of all – on my album ‘Miniatures’. Click here to find out more. : ) ]

Carousel, in Woking

Well I’ll be waltzing my way to the wonderful world of Woking this week to play clarinet (and the odd little bit of flute) for Woking Amateur Operatic Society’s production of Carousel! Rodgers and Hammerstein regarded this as the greatest of their collaborations, so if you want to find out why then come along at the times listed below to the location listed below and while you’re there say hello to the reed player listed above in the production listed both below and above. If that makes sense.

Carousel
Tuesday 31st October – Saturday 4th November
7:30, with 2:30 matinee on 4th
Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking, GU21 6GQ
waos.info
 

Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra, this weekend

I’ve got my dragon repellent at the ready, in preparation for a trip to Wales this weekend to play with the Welsh Musical Theatre Orchestra!
 

 
I’ll be doing some clarimanet and some saxomophone for two concerts, the first of which is ‘A Night at the Musicals’, taking place on Saturday 21st October in Blackwood Miners’ Institute at 7:30 p.m. And as well as watching me play, you’ll also be able to hear some of my orchestrations:
 

  • Overture to Ben Franklin in Paris
  • Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera
  • All I Ask of You from The Phantom of the Opera
  • All for the Best from Godspell
  • Defying Gravity from Wicked
  • Round-Shouldered Man from The Secret Garden

 
Then on Sunday 22nd October we’ll be playing ‘The 12 Hour Revue’ in the Congress Theatre, Cwmbran, starting at 7:00. The idea is that the singers and conductors don’t know what they’ll be performing until 12 hours before the start of the show, and therefore I’m not allowed to tell you what orchestrations I’ve done for this one. So instead I’ll just leave some bullet points here and you can guess what they might represent:
 

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in Eastleigh

If you like blog posts that start with ‘If you like blog posts that start with […], you’ll love this’, you’ll love this!

The title of this one has probably given you a clue to the fact that I’ll soon be travelling to Eastleigh, to play a selection of instruments for Southampton Musical Society’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels! I’ve had a listen through the songs and it sounds like a good larf all round, so do attend if you happen to be within reach. Here are the fine details:

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Wednesday 4th October – Saturday 7th October
7:30, with 2:30 matinee on 7th
The Point, Eastleigh, SO50 9DE
Click here for yet more information!

The other great thing about this show is that its orchestrator clearly has a sense of humour:
 

New composition: ‘Affettuoso’

Hello everybody! I wrote some more music! Here it is for you to listen to!

Now here’s some blurb that I’ve written about it:

I present to you number 5 in my planned series of 12 compositions for solo piano. Once again I have aimed for musical simplicity, although you will note that at 1:56 I lost my nerve somewhat and wrote something that’s really quite complex. Oh well, such is life!

The performance direction at the start of this piece says ‘With heartfelt intensity throughout’, but sadly my computer has failed to render this tenderness that I was aiming for, so you’ll just have to imagine it for the time being until I can find a real live pianist to play it with some degree of expression!

Stay tuned for more pieces in this series. I’ve already written number 6, and with a bit of luck that’ll be with you before too long.
 

[EDIT 3/4/2023: Sadly this video is no longer available, however fear not! You can listen to the entire recording of ‘Affettuoso’ – along with 11 other original piano pieces – on my album ‘Miniatures’. Click here to find out more. : ) ]

Look, I wrote some more music.

A couple of days ago I assembled the fourth in my planned series of twelve solo piano pieces, and you can now listen to it for free on The Internet!

It’s called ‘The Longest Night’, and it’s a dark and disturbing journey through 114 bars of melancholy. If that doesn’t make you want to listen I don’t know what will. Not much else to say, except that I hope it depresses you.

Happy Monday! ; )
 

[EDIT: This rough, not-very-good MIDI recording is no longer available, however you can now listen to The Longest Night in all its glory on my album ‘Miniatures’! Click here to learn more. – MG, 3/4/23]

Oliver! In Aylesbury!

I’m going to have a splendid time next week because I will be playing flute and piccolo for Stage Experience’s performances of Oliver! (By the way, that exclamation mark is part of the title – it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m wildly enthusiastic.) In Aylesbury! (O.K., that one did stem from wild enthusiasm.)

Here are all the details for anybody who wants to come and watch and listen and say ‘hello’:

Oliver!
Wednesday 16th August – Saturday 19th August
7:00, with 2:00 matinee on 19th
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, HP20 1UG
Further information here
 

 
I’ve just had a look at the theatre website and it looks SNAZZAAAAAAY! Look:
 

 
By the way, I will not be performing for the shows on Saturday 19th because I’ll be off ‘oop north’ to entertain at a wedding with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band.

That is all for now, but stay tuned as I have some sarcastic insights to share in due course, regarding the Reed 1 part for this show!