Bright Future (or The End of Everything) for solo marimba by Brant Blackard

Premiere performance at Oklahoma University, 11/12/2024. Performed on a Malletech Imperial Grand with Malletech Concerto 14 mallets.

Prelude (to The End of Everything) for solo vibraphone and Bright Future (or The End of Everything) for solo marimba were composed in 2024 and are dedicated to my teachers Blake Tyson and Michael Burritt, respectively, who both taught me so much about playing these instruments. While these pieces do not sound anything like the music that they have written, I thought of them often while composing these works.
I had never seen a vibraphone before I studied with Blake Tyson and I spent countless hours getting lost in the resonance of this beautiful instrument. I hope the piece reflects the patience and beautiful artistry that Blake shared with me throughout my time learning from him. Michael Burritt's explosive energy, passion, and boundless enthusiasm similarly inspired my playing and composing, immeasurably.
These pieces are also influenced by, and take their name from, the film Bright Future (2002) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The possibly ironically titled film feels apocalyptic but there is also a sense of wonder. In Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s films, there are expressions of the very intimate and the enormous, global, and existential. This admittedly pessimistic attitude is present in the piece, but hopefully so is that same sense of wonder. There exists an uncertainty of a bright future, but likely not the end of everything.
Both solos are derived from the same melodic material and are intimately connected. For this reason, it is preferable that they be performed together as one piece in two movements, but either may be performed on its own.

If you are interested in the piece, please contact me at [email protected]