With respect to gran, dirge played (9)
I believe the answer is:
regarding
'with respect to' is the definition.
('regarding' can be a synonym of 'with respect to')
'gran dirge played' is the wordplay.
'played' indicates anagramming the letters.
'gran'+'dirge'='grandirge'
'grandirge' with letters rearranged gives 'REGARDING'.
(Other definitions for regarding that I've seen before include "Considering" , "Concerning" , "Thinking" , "Concerned with" , "Gazing" .)