Wallace And Gromit's Musical Marvels

Wallace And Gromit’s Musical Marvels is coming to the Brighton Dome Concert Hall this weekend following a successful appearance at last year’s Proms.

“Wallace saw that ‘Sir Lord Andrew Lord Webber’ was doing quite well so why not have a go himself,” laughs creative director Merlin Crossingham from Bristol-based Aardman Animation, who refuses to reveal further details of Wallace’s composition My Concerto In Eee, Lad.

“A big part of Wallace’s character is that he always has a bill he needs to pay, so it’s quite a convenient part of his story that he is always trying something new.”

As well as appearing during the show on the big screen in a series of bespoke animations, which took three months to create, the creator of the infamous Techno Trousers has turned his attention to the conductor’s podium.

“The Maestromatic was really important to us,” says Crossingham. “Wallace and Gromit exist on the screen in their own world. It was important that the show felt inclusive, and that they were taking part.”

Wallace communicates with Aurora Orchestra conductor Nicholas Collon through the telephone attached to the maestromatic, and by sending written messages direct to the podium through a pneumatic tube delivery system (as seen in old-fashioned banks and supermarkets).

“Wallace felt the traditional podium was a little bit dull,” says Cressingham.

“He is very safety conscious [with a big barrier at the back to stop the conductor falling off in to the crowd].

“There’s also a baton holder and a place for the conductor to put his mug and a plate of cheese.”

Obviously with Musical Marvels originally appearing at the Royal Albert Hall during the 2012 Proms season, music is very important to the show.

The second half sees the Aurora Orchestra provide a live soundtrack to the latest Wallace And Gromit short A Matter Of Loaf And Death.

The first half mixes Wallace and Gromit’s attempts to put together the inventor’s magnum opus with a selection of classical music designed for families.

“The music is an integral part of telling the story,” says Crossingham. “We wanted to make it as inclusive and engaging as possible.

“Nick, the orchestra and the whole Proms team were very helpful with choosing the repertoire.

“We wanted choices that had energy and were recognisable, but also have a couple that people won’t have heard before but would really like. “It was important to push the boundaries and not have the same classical pieces that everyone will have heard before.”

Alongside selections from Mozart, Debussy and Stravinsky is a jazzy rendition of the Wallace And Gromit theme, as well as a guide around the orchestra.

“Hopefully for someone coming to see classical music for the first time it will be a fun way of understanding the structure of the orchestra,” says Crossingham.

Wallace’s canine companion Gromit also shows another hitherto unknown skill – as a violinist.

Equipping Gromit with strings provided a challenge for the animators.

“We began by taking a video recording of a violinist playing the piece of music,” says Crossingham.

“We very technically copied all the actions, and to be honest it looked pretty poor! Gromit only has three paw digits anyway so we couldn’t replicate all the notes.

“We ended up doing a graphic simplification. We stripped it back to the bare bones, so it would feel like he was playing with passion and heart but with the right general movements to his hands. Hopefully it will fool most people.

“It’s a large part of the skill of an animator – to observe reality and put an animated twist to it. Sometimes it is exaggerating things, sometimes it’s knowing what the eye needs to see. It comes with years of practice.

“Ultimately the animator is an actor really – they need to know how to make things funny, sad or happy using a range of emotions.”

One slight change apparent to eagle-eared audience members is Wallace’s voice.

The original voice of Wallace was by Last Of The Summer Wine actor Peter Sallis, now 92, who first worked with creator and student filmmaker Nick Park on 1989’s A Grand Day Out on the strength of a handshake.

For Musical Marvels, Wallace is being voiced by Ben Whitehead who has also worked on the video game Wallace And Gromit’s Grand Adventures.

“Ben has been working with us for the last ten years, since The Curse Of The Were Rabbit [Wallace and Gromit’s first full-length feature film],” says Crossingham. “He has been understudying for Peter. Wallace lives on through Ben’s voice.”

Proud possessor of three Academy Awards, and two further Oscar nominations, Wallace And Gromit have become recognisable British icons around the world in the 24 years since the release of A Grand Day Out.

“We are in the lovely position that we can be selective with what Wallace and Gromit do,” says Crossingham.

“We don’t lose control because we are the only people who make Wallace and Gromit. The growth of their popularity means there’s a feeling of collective ownership amongst fans and the public.

“We try to make sure that everyone gets a good quality experience with anything related to Wallace and Gromit.

“We always have something on the boil with them – there’s a new Wallace And Gromit ride opening at Blackpool Pleasure Beach this year which is something we have been working on for a long time.

“There is no imminent big film production, but we will do something – just not in the immediate future.”

Aardman isn’t just about Wallace And Gromit though, with work ranging from commercials to full-length movies coming out of their Bristol base.

The company’s innovative spin on the humble vox pop Creature Comforts won an Academy Award in 1989.

More recently Shaun The Sheep, who first appeared in Wallace And Gromit’s A Close Shave in 1995, has his own spin-off television series and fan base.

And alongside the 2005 Wallace And Gromit movie The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, Aardman has made the Great Escape-inspired Chicken Run in 2000, computer animation Flushed Away in 2006, 2011 seasonal film Arthur Christmas and 2012’s Oscar-nominated The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists.

“Wallace And Gromit is just one of the things we do,” says Crossingham.

“In the current world you have to be flexible – you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

• Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Church Street, Saturday, March 30. Starts 2.30pm and 7pm, tickets from £15. Call 01273 709709