Michael Nyman Band
Encyclopedia
The Michael Nyman Band, formerly known as the Campiello Band, is a group formed as a street band for a 1976 production of Carlo Goldoni
's 1756 play
, Il Campiello
directed by Bill Bryden
at the Old Vic
. The band did not wish to break up after the production ended, so its director, Michael Nyman
, began composing music for the group to perform, beginning with "In Re Don Giovanni
", written in 1977. Originally made up of old instruments such as rebec
s, sackbut
s and shawm
s alongside more modern instruments like the banjo
and saxophone
in order to produce as loud a sound as possible without amplification, it later switched to a fully amplified lineup of string quartet
, double bass
, clarinet
, three saxophones, horn
, trumpet
, bass trombone, bass guitar
, and piano
. This line up has been variously altered and augmented for some works.
The band's first recorded album on a professional label was Nyman's second, the self-titled Michael Nyman
(1981), which mostly comprised pieces written for the early films of Peter Greenaway
. This album has yet to be released on compact disc
. Another self-titled album (1995) has appeared as a promotional item compiling tracks from various other albums, and should not be confused with this one.
Along with soundtracks to Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract
, Drowning by Numbers
, and The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover, their 1980s output included The Kiss and Other Movements
(which includes the titular art song
; a song from Nyman's projected Tristram Shandy opera; a tango
; a movement from the same work as "Memorial" as used in Greenaway's 26 Bathrooms; and a performance of music (not the original soundtrack) from Greenaway's Making a Splash) and the modern dance
work And Do They Do. They also made a limited edition recording of Nyman's La Traversée de Paris
in 1989; many of its individual movements were soon to be dismantled, revised, or simply transplanted whole, to serve as the soundtrack for Greenaway's Prospero's Books
(1991). Conversely, Nyman composed music for another adaptation of William Shakespeare
's The Tempest
, the ballet-opera Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs
, soon after Prospero's Books, some of which was dervied from La Traversée de Paris.
Their 1992 album, The Essential Michael Nyman Band
, may appear to be a greatest hits
compilation, but is actually composed of the concert versions of various film pieces, having undergone years of revisions and refinement, are significantly different from their soundtrack counterparts, to a far more severe extent than typical differences between classical music performances. This album also contains two cuts from the film score to A Zed & Two Noughts
, which was originally performed by an orchestra of musicians who were never members of the band, with solos by band members Nyman, Balanescu, Perry, and Leonard. Similarly, The Piano
was performed by members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
with Harle, Roach, Findon, and Nyman, but is also part of the band's repertoire.
In 1993, the band joined with an orchestra for the first time in their recording history with MGV: Musique à Grand Vitesse
, a piece commissioned for the opening of a TGV
line, first performed on September 26, 1993, in which the band, according to Nyman's own liner notes, represents the tracks
, "resisting the temptation of the concerto grosso
". The album credit is to "The Michael Nyman Band and Orchestra".
The group has largely been superseded by the Michael Nyman Orchestra
. Such soundtrack albums as Practical Magic
, Ravenous
, The End of the Affair
, The Claim
, and The Libertine
are credited to this group, first implied on that 1994 album. While the former two titles lack detailed credits, the latter three albums show that most of the band (not to say most of those credited as full members over its history) performs in the Orchestra. The band's existence is far from over, however, as Nyman orchestrated his 2002 opera, Facing Goya
, specifically for the band. His previous two opera recordings include band members but are not formally credited to the band, and one, the aforementioned Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, uses a full-scale orchestra
, without Nyman at the baton. Man and Boy: Dada
(2004) and Love Counts
(2005; recorded 2007), Nyman's newest operas, feature the band conducted by Paul McGrath
.
In 1996, another offshoot group, The Nyman Quartet, consisting of Cathy Thompson, Gabrielle Lester, Kate Musker, and Tony Hinnigan, recorded The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi (with Sarah Leonard--the only singer ever credited as a band member) and Exit No Exit, and plan to record the third recording of Nyman's four string quartets.
They are produced by David Cunningham.
Many of the current and former band members, including John Harle
, Alexander Balanescu
, Dave Lee
, Madeleine Mitchell
, Andrew Findon
, and Simon Haram, have released solo album
s that include performances of Nyman's music.
(1981) did not credit individual band members.
(listed chronologically)
Carlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
's 1756 play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, Il Campiello
Il campiello
Il campiello is an opera in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. The Italian-language libretto was by Mario Ghisalberti, after the famous comedy of the same name written for the 1756 Venetian Carnival by the great Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni.Referred to as a commedia lirica, it is an...
directed by Bill Bryden
Bill Bryden
William Campbell Rough Bryden CBE is a British stage- and film director and screenwriter.-Biography:...
at the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
. The band did not wish to break up after the production ended, so its director, Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, began composing music for the group to perform, beginning with "In Re Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
", written in 1977. Originally made up of old instruments such as rebec
Rebec
The rebecha is a bowed string musical instrument. In its most common form, it has a narrow boat-shaped body and 1-5 strings and is played on the arm or under the chin, like a violin.- Origins :The rebec dates back to the Middle Ages and was particularly popular in the 15th and 16th centuries...
s, sackbut
Sackbut
The sackbut is a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, i.e., a musical instrument in the brass family similar to the trumpet except characterised by a telescopic slide with which the player varies the length of the tube to change pitches, thus allowing them to obtain chromaticism, as...
s and shawm
Shawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
s alongside more modern instruments like the banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in order to produce as loud a sound as possible without amplification, it later switched to a fully amplified lineup of string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
, double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, three saxophones, horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, bass trombone, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. This line up has been variously altered and augmented for some works.
The band's first recorded album on a professional label was Nyman's second, the self-titled Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman (1981 album)
Michael Nyman is the third album release by Michael Nyman and the second with the Michael Nyman Band, having previously contributed tracks to new music compilations...
(1981), which mostly comprised pieces written for the early films of Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
. This album has yet to be released on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Another self-titled album (1995) has appeared as a promotional item compiling tracks from various other albums, and should not be confused with this one.
Along with soundtracks to Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract
The Draughtsman's Contract
The Draughtsman's Contract is a 1982 British film written and directed by Peter Greenaway – his first conventional feature film . Originally produced for Channel 4 the film is a form of murder mystery, set in 1694...
, Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers
Drowning by Numbers is a 1988 British film directed by Peter Greenaway. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film's plot centers on three women — a grandmother, mother and daughter — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses each woman successively drowns her husband...
, and The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover, their 1980s output included The Kiss and Other Movements
The Kiss and Other Movements
The Kiss and Other Movements is the sixth album release by Michael Nyman, and the fifth recording with the Michael Nyman Band. The title track is an "operatic duet" between Dagmar Krause and Omar Ebrahim, based on a painting of the same title by Paul Richards, which is depicted on the cover, and...
(which includes the titular art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
; a song from Nyman's projected Tristram Shandy opera; a tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
; a movement from the same work as "Memorial" as used in Greenaway's 26 Bathrooms; and a performance of music (not the original soundtrack) from Greenaway's Making a Splash) and the modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
work And Do They Do. They also made a limited edition recording of Nyman's La Traversée de Paris
La Traversée de Paris (album)
La Traversée de Paris is an album by the Michael Nyman Band featuring music composed by Michael Nyman for an audio-visual exhibition of the same name which took place at the Grande Arche de la Défense from July to December 1989 to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution.-Track...
in 1989; many of its individual movements were soon to be dismantled, revised, or simply transplanted whole, to serve as the soundtrack for Greenaway's Prospero's Books
Prospero's Books
Prospero's Books , written and directed by Peter Greenaway, is a cinematic adaptation of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. John Gielgud is Prospero, the protagonist who provides the off-screen narration and the voices to the other story characters...
(1991). Conversely, Nyman composed music for another adaptation of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, the ballet-opera Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs
Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs
Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs is a 1991 opera by Michael Nyman that began as an opera-ballet titled La Princesse de Milan choreographed by Karine Saporta. The libretto is William Shakespeare's The Tempest, as abridged by the composer...
, soon after Prospero's Books, some of which was dervied from La Traversée de Paris.
Their 1992 album, The Essential Michael Nyman Band
The Essential Michael Nyman Band
The Essential Michael Nyman Band is a studio album featuring a collection of music by Michael Nyman written for the films of Peter Greenaway and newly performed by the Michael Nyman Band. It is the seventeenth album release by Nyman...
, may appear to be a greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation, but is actually composed of the concert versions of various film pieces, having undergone years of revisions and refinement, are significantly different from their soundtrack counterparts, to a far more severe extent than typical differences between classical music performances. This album also contains two cuts from the film score to A Zed & Two Noughts
A Zed & Two Noughts
Elements of Michael Nyman's score invoke the "Dies Irae" section from Heinrich Ignaz Biber's Requiem ex F con terza minore. The Angelfish Decay/Swan Rot/L'Escargot theme was originally written for Childs Play, a dance work commissioned by Lucinda Childs. Performance of the soundtrack is credited...
, which was originally performed by an orchestra of musicians who were never members of the band, with solos by band members Nyman, Balanescu, Perry, and Leonard. Similarly, The Piano
The Piano
The Piano is a 1993 New Zealand drama film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin...
was performed by members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
The Münchner Philharmoniker is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's three principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orchestra...
with Harle, Roach, Findon, and Nyman, but is also part of the band's repertoire.
In 1993, the band joined with an orchestra for the first time in their recording history with MGV: Musique à Grand Vitesse
MGV (composition)
MGV, or Musique à Grande Vitesse - High-Speed Music is a 1993 musical composition by English composer Michael Nyman. It was commissioned by the Festival de Lille for the inauguration of the TGV North-European Paris-Lille line and was first performed by the Michael Nyman Band and the Orchestre...
, a piece commissioned for the opening of a TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
line, first performed on September 26, 1993, in which the band, according to Nyman's own liner notes, represents the tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
, "resisting the temptation of the concerto grosso
Concerto grosso
The concerto grosso is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra...
". The album credit is to "The Michael Nyman Band and Orchestra".
The group has largely been superseded by the Michael Nyman Orchestra
Michael Nyman Orchestra
The Michael Nyman Orchestra is a group that expands on the Michael Nyman Band for specific album work, often for movie soundtracks.-History:...
. Such soundtrack albums as Practical Magic
Practical Magic
Practical Magic is a 1998 American fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches who carry on a family legacy of witchcraft and tragedy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Alice Hoffman...
, Ravenous
Ravenous
Ravenous is a 1999 horror film directed by Antonia Bird and starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle and Jeffrey Jones. The film revolves around cannibalism in 1840s California and some elements bear similarities to the story of the Donner Party and that of Alferd Packer...
, The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair (1999 film)
Michael Nyman would later use "Diary of Love" to open and close his solo album, The Piano Sings . As with many of Nyman's 1990s scores, he incorporates material from his String Quartet No.3, which was in turn based on a choral piece titled Out of the Ruins.-Track listing:#Diary of Hate 2:38#Henry...
, The Claim
The Claim
The Claim is a 2000 British Western/romance film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce is loosely based on the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. The original music score is composed by Michael Nyman....
, and The Libertine
The Libertine (2005 film)
The Libertine is a 2004 film starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton and Rosamund Pike. Directed by Laurence Dunmore in his first outing and adapted by Stephen Jeffreys' from his play of the same name, the film stars Johnny Depp as John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, a notorious rake...
are credited to this group, first implied on that 1994 album. While the former two titles lack detailed credits, the latter three albums show that most of the band (not to say most of those credited as full members over its history) performs in the Orchestra. The band's existence is far from over, however, as Nyman orchestrated his 2002 opera, Facing Goya
Facing Goya
Facing Goya is an opera in four acts by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Victoria Hardie. It is an expansion of their one-act opera called Vital Statistics from 1987, dealing with such subjects as physiognomy and its practitioners, and also incorporates a musical motif from Nyman's art song, "The...
, specifically for the band. His previous two opera recordings include band members but are not formally credited to the band, and one, the aforementioned Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, uses a full-scale orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, without Nyman at the baton. Man and Boy: Dada
Man and Boy: Dada
Man and Boy: Dada is a 2003 opera by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Michael Hastings. It tells the story of a friendship between aging dada artist Kurt Schwitters and a twelve-year-old boy. These two characters and the boy's mother make up the cast of the opera.It was first performed at the...
(2004) and Love Counts
Love Counts
Love Counts is a 2005 opera in two acts by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Michael Hastings.-Performance history:The opera premiered March 12, 2005 at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, directed by Robert Tannenbaum...
(2005; recorded 2007), Nyman's newest operas, feature the band conducted by Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath may refer to:* Paul McGrath , American actor* Paul McGrath , Irish politician and Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Westmeath* Paul McGrath , Irish international footballer...
.
In 1996, another offshoot group, The Nyman Quartet, consisting of Cathy Thompson, Gabrielle Lester, Kate Musker, and Tony Hinnigan, recorded The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi (with Sarah Leonard--the only singer ever credited as a band member) and Exit No Exit, and plan to record the third recording of Nyman's four string quartets.
They are produced by David Cunningham.
Many of the current and former band members, including John Harle
John Harle
John Harle is an English saxophonist and composer.-Biography:John Harle - SaxophonistJohn Harle is one of the world’s leading saxophonists, and the most significant performer of the saxophone in the concert hall today...
, Alexander Balanescu
Alexander Balanescu
Alexander Bălănescu is a violinist and founder of the Balanescu Quartet.He emigrated with his family to Israel in 1969....
, Dave Lee
Dave Lee (horn player)
David Lee is currently solo horn with the Michael Nyman Band. He has held principal positions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Opera House Orchestra....
, Madeleine Mitchell
Madeleine Mitchell
Madeleine Mitchell is a British violinist who has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in over forty countries in a wide repertoire. She has also been a member of The Fires of London and the Michael Nyman Band.-Biography:...
, Andrew Findon
Andrew Findon
Andrew Findon is an English flautist and saxophonist. Educated at Harrow County School for Boys, he trained as an orchestral flautist, and served as principal flute of the National Youth Orchestra in the early 1970s and three years at the Royal College of Music...
, and Simon Haram, have released solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
s that include performances of Nyman's music.
Lineup
The membership in the band is rather fluid, though it has had many core members, listed at right. Often, whoever plays with the band on a given album is credited as a full member, though just as often, non-members are credited as guest artists. The following people have received credit as full-fledged members on at least one album, followed by a list of every instrument that they have been credited with playing at any time. The recordings prior to Michael NymanMichael Nyman (1981 album)
Michael Nyman is the third album release by Michael Nyman and the second with the Michael Nyman Band, having previously contributed tracks to new music compilations...
(1981) did not credit individual band members.
(listed chronologically)
- Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
(1976-), composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, piano, harpsichordHarpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
, kurzweil - Rory Allam (1981), clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
- Alexander BalanescuAlexander BalanescuAlexander Bălănescu is a violinist and founder of the Balanescu Quartet.He emigrated with his family to Israel in 1969....
(1981–1993, 1999–2002), violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello.... - Anne Barnard (1981), french horn
- Ben Grove (1981), bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- John HarleJohn HarleJohn Harle is an English saxophonist and composer.-Biography:John Harle - SaxophonistJohn Harle is one of the world’s leading saxophonists, and the most significant performer of the saxophone in the concert hall today...
(1981–1999), soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Nick Hayley (1981), rebecRebecThe rebecha is a bowed string musical instrument. In its most common form, it has a narrow boat-shaped body and 1-5 strings and is played on the arm or under the chin, like a violin.- Origins :The rebec dates back to the Middle Ages and was particularly popular in the 15th and 16th centuries...
, violin - Ian Mitchell (1981–1982), clarinet, bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, alto saxophone - Elisabeth Perry (1981–1991, 1998), violin, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Steve Saunders (1981–1991), bass trombone, euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
- Roderick Skeaping (1981), rebec, violin
- Keith Thompson (1981–1982), fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, tenor saxophone - Doug Wootton (1981), banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
- Malcolm Bennett (1982), bass guitar
- Andrew FindonAndrew FindonAndrew Findon is an English flautist and saxophonist. Educated at Harrow County School for Boys, he trained as an orchestral flautist, and served as principal flute of the National Youth Orchestra in the early 1970s and three years at the Royal College of Music...
(1980-), tenor saxophone, baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, piccoloPiccoloThe piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
, flute, bass fluteBass fluteThe bass flute is the bass member of the flute family. It is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. Because of the length of its tube , it is usually made with a "J" shaped head joint, which brings the embouchure hole within reach of the player...
, alto fluteAlto fluteThe alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range... - Barry GuyBarry GuyBarry John Guy is a British composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of orchestras in the UK and Europe...
(1982), double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - David Fuest (1985, 1986, 1989, 2007), clarinet, bass clarinet
- John GreavesJohn Greaves (musician)John Greaves is a British bass guitarist and composer, best known as a member of Henry Cow and his collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad...
(1985), bass guitar - David Roach (1985-), soprano, alto and tenor saxophones
- Sarah Leonard (1985–1991), sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
- Rupert Bawden (1986), viola
- Ruth Phillips (1986, 1991), celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Jonathan "John" CarneyJonathan CarneyJonathan Carney is a violinist, violist, and conductor noted for his interpretations of Luciano Berio, Michael Nyman, Max Bruch, Johannes Brahms, Jean Sibelius, Felix Mendelssohn, John Cage, Bruno Maderna, Pablo Sarasate, Fritz Kreisler, Krzysztof Penderecki, Paul Hindemith, Philip Glass, Toru...
(1987–1991), violin, viola - Catherine "Kate" Musker (1987-), viola
- Anthony "Tony" HinniganTony HinniganAnthony "Tony" Hinnigan is a musician from Glasgow. He is best known for his work with Michael Nyman , Ennio Morricone, and James Horner. He plays cello as well as Irish whistle and various Andean woodwind instruments...
(1987-), cello - Miranda Fulleylove, also spelled "Fullylove" (1988, 1999), violin
- Rosemary Furniss (1988), violin
- Briony Shaw (1988), violin
- Jackie Shave (1988, 1989, 1999), violin
- Joe Rappaport (1988), viola
- Andrew ShulmanAndrew ShulmanAndrew Shulman is an internationally renowned cellist. He is also a distinguished conductor and composer. He is currently the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.-Career:...
(1988), cello - Robin McGee (1988–1989), double bass
- John Wilbraham (1988), trumpet, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
- Michael ThompsonMichael Thompson (horn player)Michael Thompson is a British horn player.After studying at the Royal Academy of Music, Thompson was appointed Principal Horn with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra aged just 18 years...
(1988), french horn - Christopher "Chris" LaurenceChris LaurenceChris Laurence is an English jazz double bassist born in London, perhaps most noteworthy for his 1980s work in various trios with Tony Oxley ....
also spelled "Lawrence" (1989, 1994, 1999, 2006-), double bass - Graham Ashton (1989–1992), trumpet, flugelhorn
- David Stewart (also spelled "Stuart") (1989), trombone
- Clare Connors (1989–1994), violin
- Justin Pearson (1989–1992, 2005), cello
- Paul Morgan (1989, 1991, 1999, 2004), double bass
- David Rix (1989, 1991–1999, 2004), clarinet, bass clarinet
- Jamie TalbotJamie TalbotJames Robert "Jamie" Talbot is an English jazz alto saxophonist.Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while young.He attended the Royal College of Music in 1978-79, then recorded throughout the decades of the 1980s and 1990s with...
(1989, 1991, 1995, 2005), soprano and alto saxophones - Simon Haram (1989, 1996-), soprano and alto saxophones
- Richard Clews (1989, 1991, 1995–1996), french horn, Wagner tubaWagner tubaThe Wagner tuba is a comparatively rare brass instrument that combines elements of both the French horn and the tuba. Also referred to as the "Bayreuth Tuba", it was originally created for Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. Since then, other composers have written for it, most...
- Huw Jenkins (1989), horn
- Fenella Barton (1989), violin
- Gabrielle "Gaby" LesterGabrielle LesterGabrielle Lester is an English classical violinist and orchestra leader. She maintains an extensive discography of classical, popular and soundtrack recordings.-Career:...
(1989, 2002-), violin - Iris Juda (1989), violin
- Jonathan ReesJonathan ReesJonathan Rees was a private investigator, and former partner of Daniel Morgan-Biography:In 1984, with partner Daniel Morgan, he set up a detective agency, Southern Investigations, in Thornton Heath, Surrey.-Murder of Daniel Morgan:...
(1989, 1999), violin - Lyn Fletcher, violin
- Mayumi Seiler, violin
- Michael "Mike" McMenemy (1989, 1991, 1992, 1994), violin
- Richard Ehrlich, violin
- Roger Tapping, viola
- Jane Salmen, cello
- Tim Hugh, cello
- Lynda Herighten, double bass
- Martin Elliott (1989, 1991–1995, (live only 1996-1998) 1999-), bass guitar
- Richard WatkinsRichard WatkinsRichard Watkins is a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his solo career....
(1989), horn - Tim Amhurst also spelled "Amherst" (1991, 1994), double bass
- Lynda Houghton (1991), double bass
- Marjorie Dunn (1991–1994), horn
- Nigel BarrNigel BarrNigel Barr grew up as a member of the High Wycombe Salvation Army band. In 1980 he went to the Guildhall School of Music and studied trombone with Peter Gane and Denis Wick during that time he was also a member of International Staff Band playing bass trombone.Since then Nigel has had a varied...
(1991-), bass trombone, euphonium, tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the... - Madeleine MitchellMadeleine MitchellMadeleine Mitchell is a British violinist who has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in over forty countries in a wide repertoire. She has also been a member of The Fires of London and the Michael Nyman Band.-Biography:...
(1992), violin - Beverley "Bev" DavisonBeverley DavisonBeverley Davison is a British violin virtuoso, currently fronting an act she founded called Classical Cabaret: Hot Strings or "Classical Cabaret Duo" .-Biography:...
(1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2005), violin official site - Ann MorfeeAnn MorfeeAnn Morfee, sometimes credited as "Anne Morphee", "Ann Morphy", or similar variants, is co-founder of Opus 20, and a member of the Michael Nyman Band since 1992....
(also spelled Morphy) (1992–1994, 1999, 2002), violin - Steven "Steve" SidwellSteve Sidwell (musician)Steve Sidwell is a conductor, composer, and instrumentalist specialising in swing music. Renowned as an arranger and composer, Steve, has featured on numerous albums, television shows, advertising campaigns and films with his distinctive and innovative orchestrations and compositions.He is also a...
(1992-), trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpetPiccolo trumpetThe smallest of the trumpet family is the piccolo trumpet, pitched one octave higher than the standard B trumpet. Most piccolo trumpets are built to play in either B or A, using a separate leadpipe for each key. The tubing in the B piccolo trumpet is one-half the length of that in a standard B... - Jonathan Lenahan (1992), piano
- Marshall Marcus (1994), violin
- Katherine "Kathy" Shave (1994, 1999–2002), violin
- William Schofield (1994, 2007), cello
- William "Bill" Hawkes (1994, 1996, 1999), violin
- Claire Thompson (1995), violin
- Nicholas Ward (1995), violin
- Boguslav Kosteci/Boguslow Kosteki (1995), violin
- Harriet Davies (1995), violin
- Bruce White (1995, 1999-), viola
- Philip D'Arcy (1995, 1999), viola
- Jim Sleigh (1995), viola
- Tony Lewis (1995), cello
- David LeeDave Lee (horn player)David Lee is currently solo horn with the Michael Nyman Band. He has held principal positions with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Opera House Orchestra....
(1996-), french horn, Wagner tuba - Nigel Gomm (1996, 1998, 2002, 2007-), trumpet, flugelhorn
- Nigel Black, (1996) french horn, Wagner tuba
- Paul Gargham, (1996) french horn, Wagner tuba
- Chris Davies (1996), french horn, Wagner tuba
- Gary Kettel (1996), drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Rachel Browne (1998), violin
- Prunella Pacey (1998), violin
- Melissa Phelps (1998), cello
- Andrew Fawbert (1998, 2002), bass trombone, tuba, euphonium
- Sophie Landon (1999), violin
- Fran Andrade (1999), violin
- Jonathan Evans-Jones (1999, 2007), violin
- Andrew Parker (1999), viola
- Sophie Harris (1999), cello
- Ian Humphries, violin (2002, 2005, 2007-)
- Elizabeth Burley (2002)
- Catherine "Cathy" Thompson (2002-) violin
- Gillian Findlay (2002), violin
- Roger Linley (2002), double bass
- Stephen Williams (2002), double bass
- James Woodrow (2002), electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Edward Coxon, violin (2003)
- Richard Cookson, viola (2003)
- Nicholas "Nick" CooperNicholas CooperNicholas Henry Charles Cooper is a former English cricketer. Cooper was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born at Bristol....
, cello (2003, 2005) - Mary Scully, double bass (2003, 2006)
- Rebecca Hirsch, violin (2004–2005)
- Melinda Maxwell, oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
(2004) - Gareth Hulse, oboe (2004)
- Andrew Sparling, clarinet, bass clarinet (2004, 2005, 2007)
- Christopher Gunia, bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
(2004) - Richard Benjafield, percussion (2004)
- Dominic Saunders, piano (2004, 2006)
- Ian Humphries, violin (2005)
- Mia Cooper, violin (2005)
- Lizzie Bull, violin (2005)
- Morvent Bruce, violin (2005)
- James BoydJames BoydJames Boyd , the son of a wealthy coal and oil family in Pennsylvania, was an American novelist.Boyd's parents, John Yeomans Boyd and Eleanor Gilmore Herr Boyd, were from North Carolina and he was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania...
, viola (2005) - John Metcalfe, viola (2005)
- Robert Max, cello (2005)
- Fiona McNaught, violin (2005, 2007)
- Robert BucklandRobert BucklandRobert James Buckland is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Swindon South, having won the seat from the Labour Party at the 2010 general election....
, soprano and alto sax (2005) - David ArchDavid ArchDavid Arch is a British musician, composer, arranger and musical director.- Career :Arch is the current arranger and musical director of the Strictly Come Dancing house band, as well as the band's pianist and guitarist...
, piano (2005) - Phillipa Ibbotson, violin (2006)
- Nicolette Kuo, violin (2006)
- Emlyn Singleton, violin (2006)
- Debbie Widdup, violin (2006)
- Harriet Davies, violin (2006)
- Fenella Barton, violin (2006)
- Nick Barr, viola (2006)
- Jonathan Barritt, viola (2006)
- Allen Walley, bass (2006)
- Walter Fabeck, keyboards (2006)
- Simon Chamberlain, piano (2006)
Discography
- Not Necessarily English Music, a collection of experimental music from Great Britain, 1960-1977, curated by David ToopDavid ToopDavid Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
- Miserere by Giuseppe VerdiGiuseppe VerdiGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
, arranged by M. Nyman - The Campiello Band: Michael Nyman, Rory Allam, Lucie Skeaping, Roddie Skeaping, Steve Saunders, Keith Thompson, Doug Wooton
- Recorded in Clifton College, Nottingham, England, 3 March 1977. Recorded by Robert WorbyRobert WorbyRobert Worby is a composer, sound artist, writer and broadcaster based in London.He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 3's Hear and NowTowards the end of the 70s he played guitar and tapes in a post-punk band called The Distributors...
.
- Miserere by Giuseppe Verdi
- "The Masterwork" Award Winning Fish-Knife"The Masterwork" Award Winning Fish-Knife'The Masterwork' Award Winning Fish-Knife is a 1979 performance sculpture by Paul Richards and Bruce McLean with music by Michael Nyman. The companion album is the second release by Michael Nyman and the first release including the Michael Nyman Band...
(1979)- no musician credits
- From Brussels with Love (1980) - "A Walk Through H, Part 1"
- Miniatures (1980) - "89-90-91-92"
- Michael NymanMichael Nyman (1981 album)Michael Nyman is the third album release by Michael Nyman and the second with the Michael Nyman Band, having previously contributed tracks to new music compilations...
(1981)- Allam, Balanescu, Barnard, Grove, Harle, Hayley, I. Mitchell, Nyman, Perry, S. Saunders, Skeaping, K. Thompson, Wootton, with Peter BrötzmannPeter BrötzmannPeter Brötzmann is a German artist and free jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.Brötzmann is among the most important European free jazz musicians. His rough, lyrical timbre is easily recognized on his many recordings.-Early life:...
(bass clarinet, tenor saxophone), Evan ParkerEvan ParkerEvan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
, (soprano saxophone), Lucy Skeaping (soprano)
- Allam, Balanescu, Barnard, Grove, Harle, Hayley, I. Mitchell, Nyman, Perry, S. Saunders, Skeaping, K. Thompson, Wootton, with Peter Brötzmann
- The Draughtsman's ContractThe Draughtsman's ContractThe Draughtsman's Contract is a 1982 British film written and directed by Peter Greenaway – his first conventional feature film . Originally produced for Channel 4 the film is a form of murder mystery, set in 1694...
(1982)- Nyman, Balanescu, Bennett, Findon, Guy, Harle, I. Mitchell, Perry, S. Saunders, K. Thompson
- The Kiss and Other MovementsThe Kiss and Other MovementsThe Kiss and Other Movements is the sixth album release by Michael Nyman, and the fifth recording with the Michael Nyman Band. The title track is an "operatic duet" between Dagmar Krause and Omar Ebrahim, based on a painting of the same title by Paul Richards, which is depicted on the cover, and...
(1985)- Balanescu, Findon, Fuest, Greaves, Harle, Nyman, Perry, Roach, S. Saunders; with Dagmar KrauseDagmar KrauseDagmar Krause is a German singer, best known for her work with avant-rock groups like Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Art Bears. She is also noted for her coverage of songs by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler...
, Omar EbrahimOmar EbrahimOmar Ebrahim is an English baritone vocalist and actor. He specializes in the performance of contemporary classical music....
, Sarah Leonard (vocals), Mark Bennett (trumpet), Lowri Blake (cello), Martin Drower (trumpet), Rosemary Furniss (violin), David Purser (trombone), David Staff (trumpet), Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet), Theresa Ward (violin), Nigel Warren-Green (cello), Jonathan Williams (cello)
- Balanescu, Findon, Fuest, Greaves, Harle, Nyman, Perry, Roach, S. Saunders; with Dagmar Krause
- And Do They DoAnd Do They Do/Zoo CapricesAnd Do They Do/Zoo Caprices is the eighth album released by Michael Nyman and the fifth feauring the Michael Nyman Band. And Do They Do is a modern dance work commission by Siobhan Davies and The London Contemporary Dance Theatre, which premiered at Sadler's Wells Theatre on November 25, 1986...
(1986)- Balanescu, Bawden, Findon, Fuest, Nyman, Perry, Phillips, Roach
- Drowning by NumbersDrowning by NumbersDrowning by Numbers is a 1988 British film directed by Peter Greenaway. It was entered into the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film's plot centers on three women — a grandmother, mother and daughter — each named Cissie Colpitts. As the story progresses each woman successively drowns her husband...
(1988)- Balanescu, Carney, Fulleylove, Furniss, Shaw, J. Shave, Musker, Carney, Rappaport, Hinningan, Shulman, McGee, Fuest, Harle, Roach, Findon, Wilbraham, M. Thompson, S. Saunders, Nyman
- La Traversée de ParisLa Traversée de Paris (album)La Traversée de Paris is an album by the Michael Nyman Band featuring music composed by Michael Nyman for an audio-visual exhibition of the same name which took place at the Grande Arche de la Défense from July to December 1989 to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution.-Track...
(1989)- Balanescu, Perry, Connors, Carney, Hinnigan, Pearson, Morgan, McGee, Rix, Fuest, Harle, Talbot, Haram, Findon, Ashton, Clews, Jenkins, S. Saunders, with Sarah Leonard, and London Voices directed by Terry Edwards
- The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
- Balanescu, Perry, Carney, Hinnigan, Lawrence, Fuest, Harle, Roach, Findon, Ashton, Stewart, Nyman, Leonard, with London VoicesLondon VoicesLondon Voices is a London-based choral ensemble led by Terry Edwards, who founded the ensemble in 1973...
directed by Terry EdwardsTerry EdwardsTerry Edwards is an English musician.Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding member of The Higsons. He produced and played on the debut album by Yeah Jazz "Six Lane Ends"...
(Paul Chapman (boy sopranoBoy sopranoA boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
), Elisabeth Harrison, Judith Rees, Sue Anderson, Sarah Leonard, Lesley Reid, Doreen Walker, Gareth Roberts, Terry Edwards, Simon Davies, Gordon Jones, Geoffrey Shaw)
- Balanescu, Perry, Carney, Hinnigan, Lawrence, Fuest, Harle, Roach, Findon, Ashton, Stewart, Nyman, Leonard, with London Voices
- La SeptLa SeptLa Sept was a French television broadcaster and production company created on 23 February 1986 to develop cultural and educational programming for transmission via the TDF 1 satellite...
- Nyman, Perry, Barton, Lester, Juda, J. Shave, Rees, Fletcher, Seiler, McMeneny, Ehrlich, Musker, Tapping, Salmen, Hugh, Hinnigan, Herighten, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Findon, Stuart, Watkins, with Sylvie Caspar
- Le Mari de la CoiffeuseThe Hairdresser's HusbandThe Hairdresser's Husband , a 1990 French film written by Patrice Leconte and Claude Klotz, and directed by Leconte. Jean Rochefort stars as the title character. Anna Galiena co-stars.It won Patrice Leconte the Prix Louis Delluc...
(The Hairdresser's Husband) (1990)- no musician credits
- Prospero's BooksProspero's BooksProspero's Books , written and directed by Peter Greenaway, is a cinematic adaptation of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare. John Gielgud is Prospero, the protagonist who provides the off-screen narration and the voices to the other story characters...
(1991)- Balanescu, Carney, Perry, Connors, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Morgan, Amhurst, Houghton, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Talbot, Findon, Ashton, Clews, Dunn, Barr, S. Saunders, Nyman, with Sarah Leonard, Marie AngelMarie AngelMarie Angel is an Australian-born opera singer. She sings both operas in the standard repertoire as well as contemporary operas by such composers as Mauricio Kagel, Bruno Maderna, Michael Tippett, Harrison Birtwistle, Philip Glass, Louis Andriessen, Michael Nyman, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, and John...
, Ute LemperUte LemperUte Lemper is a German chanteuse and actress renowned for her interpretation of the work of Kurt Weill.- Biography :Born in Münster, Germany, Ute Lemper was raised in a Roman Catholic family. She joined the punk music group known as the Panama Drive Band at the age of 16...
, Deborah ConwayDeborah ConwayDeborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
- Balanescu, Carney, Perry, Connors, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Morgan, Amhurst, Houghton, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Talbot, Findon, Ashton, Clews, Dunn, Barr, S. Saunders, Nyman, with Sarah Leonard, Marie Angel
- The Michael Nyman SongbookThe Michael Nyman SongbookThe Michael Nyman Songbook is a collection of art songs by Michael Nyman based on texts by Paul Celan, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, William Shakespeare and Arthur Rimbaud. It was recorded as an album with Ute Lemper in 1991, and again as a concert film in 1992, under the direction of Volker...
sung by Ute Lemper (1991)- Balanescu, Perry, Connors, McMenemy, Musker, Hinnigan, Phillips, Amherst, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Findon, Ashton, Dunn, Barr, Nyman (note: The lineup in Volker SchlöndorffVolker SchlöndorffVolker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
's concert filmConcert filmA concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary film, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
of the same title (1992) is different from the studio album: Nyman, Davison, M. Mitchell, Morfee, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Findon, Sidwell, Dunn, Barr)
- Balanescu, Perry, Connors, McMenemy, Musker, Hinnigan, Phillips, Amherst, Elliott, Rix, Harle, Roach, Findon, Ashton, Dunn, Barr, Nyman (note: The lineup in Volker Schlöndorff
- The Essential Michael Nyman BandThe Essential Michael Nyman BandThe Essential Michael Nyman Band is a studio album featuring a collection of music by Michael Nyman written for the films of Peter Greenaway and newly performed by the Michael Nyman Band. It is the seventeenth album release by Nyman...
(1992)- Balanescu, Connors, Morphy, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Elliott, Harle, Roach, Findon, Sidwell, Dunn, Barr, Lenahan, Nyman, with Sarah Leonard (soprano), Linda Hirst (mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
)
- Balanescu, Connors, Morphy, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Elliott, Harle, Roach, Findon, Sidwell, Dunn, Barr, Lenahan, Nyman, with Sarah Leonard (soprano), Linda Hirst (mezzo-soprano
- Ai Confini: Interzone (1993) - The Final Score, Part I (complete recording released on After Extra Time in 1996)
- Nyman, Balanescu, Connors, Morfee, Musker, Hinnigan, Pearson, Elliott, Harle, Roach, Findon, Sidwell
- MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse)MGV (composition)MGV, or Musique à Grande Vitesse - High-Speed Music is a 1993 musical composition by English composer Michael Nyman. It was commissioned by the Festival de Lille for the inauguration of the TGV North-European Paris-Lille line and was first performed by the Michael Nyman Band and the Orchestre...
(1994)- Nyman, Balanescu, Connors, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Elliott, with Orchestra
- Anohito no Waltz (1994)
- Nyman, Balanescu, Connors, Musker, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Elliott, with Hihiri Kuwano (violin), Tatsunobu Getoh (violin), Hiroshi Yamagishi (French horn), Akihiko Ikawa (trumpet)
- À la folieÀ la folieThe music by Michael Nyman has been praised as one of his better works, and considered unusually buried in the sound mix of the film. The album is Nyman's 23rd release, and the fourteenth with the Michael Nyman Band...
(Six Days, Six Nights) (1994)- Davison, Morfee, Marcus, K. Shave, Musker, Hinningan, Scofield, Laurence, Amhurst, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Sidwell, Dunn, Elliott, Nyman
- LiveLive (1994 album)Live is a 1994 album by Michael Nyman and the Michael Nyman Band. It is Nyman's 24th release and the fifteenth with the Band. It is the first commercial live album by the band, which had previously performed live on the magazine release, The Masterwork' Award Winning Fish-Knife...
(1994)- Nyman, Carney, Hawkes, Musker, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Elliott with Guergui Stoianov Boiadjev (violin), Nanko Mikov Dimitrov (violin), Evelina Nedeva Arabadjieva (violin), Kantcho Stefanov Kantchev (violin), Nediltcho Suilianov Hristov (viola), Stefan Todorov Jilkov (viola), Marieta Mihaylova Ivanova (cello), Emilia Hrostova Radilova (cello); musicians from Orquestra Andaluzi de Tetouan: Abdessadak Ckara (violin), Abdella Chekara (LaúdLaúdThe word laúd is the Spanish word for lute. It is most commonly used to refer to a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain. It belongs to the cittern family of instruments. It has six double courses , similarly to the bandurria, but its neck is longer...
), Jelloul Najidi (kanounKanun (Instrument)The Qanun is a string instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Turkestan...
), Ahmed Taoud (violin), Driss Aaufi (saxophone), Ahmet Mrabet (clarinet), Abdesslam Beniisa (cello), Mohamed Acgaalh (banderita (tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
)), Jalla Chekara (violin), Nour-Din Aghbal (violin), Abdelouahid El Bazi (derboliga (drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
)), Mohammed Chkara (cello)
- Nyman, Carney, Hawkes, Musker, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Elliott with Guergui Stoianov Boiadjev (violin), Nanko Mikov Dimitrov (violin), Evelina Nedeva Arabadjieva (violin), Kantcho Stefanov Kantchev (violin), Nediltcho Suilianov Hristov (viola), Stefan Todorov Jilkov (viola), Marieta Mihaylova Ivanova (cello), Emilia Hrostova Radilova (cello); musicians from Orquestra Andaluzi de Tetouan: Abdessadak Ckara (violin), Abdella Chekara (Laúd
- CarringtonCarrington (film)Carrington is a biographical film written and directed by Christopher Hampton about the life of the English painter Dora Carrington , who was known simply as "Carrington"...
(1995)- Nyman, Davison, Morfee, Claire Thompson, Ward, Kosteki, H. Davies, Musker, White, D'Arcy, Sleigh, Hinnigan, Pearson, Lewis, Elliott, Roach, Talbot, Clews
- The Diary of Anne FrankAnne no nikki- Track listing :#Amsterdam Dawn#Anne's Birthday#The Schoolroom#Letter From Germany#Goodbye Moortje#Candlefire#Renewal#Light Of Love#Chatterbox Waltz#Hanukah#Spring Freedom#Concentration Camp#If#First Kiss#D-Day#The Diary Of Hope#Silent Separation...
(1995)- with Hilary SummersHilary SummersHilary Summers is a Welsh contralto. She was trained at Reading University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. She has performed on soundtracks such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Libertine, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
, contraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
- with Hilary Summers
- After Extra TimeAfter Extra Time (album)After Extra Time is a 1996 album by Michael Nyman with the Michael Nyman Band containing three tributes to Nyman's fandom of Association football: After Extra Time, the soundtrack to The Final Score, and Memorial. The latter is described as a remix, but is simply the 1992 recording from The...
(1996)- Nyman, Hawkes, Morfee, Musker, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Sidwell, Lee, Elliott (b/wA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
The Final Score (1993); and "Memorial" as recorded on The Essential Michael Nyman Band in 1992)
- Nyman, Hawkes, Morfee, Musker, Hinnigan, Harle, Roach, Findon, Barr, Sidwell, Lee, Elliott (b/w
- The OgreThe Ogre (film)The score is composed by Michael Nyman and features strictly brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments by members of the Michael Nyman Band. The music was rerecorded by Wingates Band, with the woodwind parts transcribed for brass, on the 2006 album, Nyman Brass.-Track listing:#Knights at School...
(1996)- Harle, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Gomm, Lee, Black, Gargham, Clews, C. Davies, Barr, Kettel, Nyman, edited by Elliott
- The Suit and the PhotographThe Suit and the PhotographThe Suit and the Photograph is a 1998 album by Michael Nyman with the Michael Nyman Band, recorded in 1995. On this album, Nyman is the composer, conductor, and producer, and wrote the liner notes. The album contains two works, String Quartet No. 4 and 3 Quartets...
(1998) - "3 Quartets"- Perry, Browne, Phelps, Harle, Roach, Haram, Findon, Gomm, Lee, Fawbert, Nyman
- Twentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noel CowardTwentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noel CowardTwentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noël Coward is a 1998 Noël Coward tribute album curated by Neil Tennant, who invited prominent artists of the day to reinterpret Noël Coward’s songs for the late 20th century....
(1998)- "London PrideLondon Pride (song)"London Pride" is a song written and composed by Noël Coward.- Composition :Coward wrote "London Pride" in the spring of 1941, during the Blitz. According to his own account, he was sitting on a seat on a platform of a damaged railway station in London, and was "overwhelmed by a wave of sentimental...
" arranged by Damon AlbarnDamon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
and Michael Nyman - No individual musician credits
- "London Pride
- WonderlandWonderland (1999 film)Wonderland is a 1999 drama film about the lives of a London couple, their three adult daughters and absent son. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film stars Jack Shepherd, Kika Markham, Shirley Henderson, Gina McKee, Molly Parker, John Simm, and Stuart Townsend...
(1999)- J. Shave, Davison, Rees, K. Shave, Landon, Andrade, Fullylove, Evans-Jones, Hawkes, Parker, Musker, Hinnigan, Harris, Morgan, Roach, Haram, Findon, Elliott, Lee, Sidwell, Barr, Nyman
- String Quartets 2, 3 & 4/If & WhyString Quartets 2, 3 & 4/If & WhyString Quartets 2, 3 & 4/If & Why is an album by Simon Haram, The Lyric Quartet, and members of The Michael Nyman Band, featuring music by Michael Nyman. "If" and "Why" are songs written for The Diary of Anne Frank, where they were performed by Hilary Summers and the Michael Nyman Band...
(2002)- Haram, White, Humphries, Hinnigan, Morfee, Burley
- Facing GoyaFacing GoyaFacing Goya is an opera in four acts by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Victoria Hardie. It is an expansion of their one-act opera called Vital Statistics from 1987, dealing with such subjects as physiognomy and its practitioners, and also incorporates a musical motif from Nyman's art song, "The...
(2002)- Balanescu, Lester, Catherine Thompson, Findlay, K. Shave, Musker, White, Hinnigan, Linley, Williams, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Gomm, Lee, Barr, Fawbert, Woodrow, Nyman, with Winnie Böwe (soprano), Marie Angel (soprano), Hilary SummersHilary SummersHilary Summers is a Welsh contralto. She was trained at Reading University, the Royal Academy of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. She has performed on soundtracks such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Libertine, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
(contralto), Harry Nicoll (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), Omar Ebrahim (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
)
- Balanescu, Lester, Catherine Thompson, Findlay, K. Shave, Musker, White, Hinnigan, Linley, Williams, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Gomm, Lee, Barr, Fawbert, Woodrow, Nyman, with Winnie Böwe (soprano), Marie Angel (soprano), Hilary Summers
- Sangam: Michael Nyman Meets Indian MastersSangam: Michael Nyman Meets Indian MastersSangam: Michael Nyman Meets Indian Masters is the 46th album by Michael Nyman. It is a collaboration with musicians from India including U. Shrinivas and the Misra Brothers. It was released in 2003 and quickly cut out by its U.S. distributor...
(2003)- Lester, Catherine Thompson, Coxon, Musker, Cookson, Hinnigan, N. Cooper, Scully, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Lee, Barr, Nyman , with U. Shrinivas (mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
), Rajan Misra, Sajan Misra, Ritesh Misra, Rajnish Misra (vocals), Sanju Sahai (tablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
)
- Lester, Catherine Thompson, Coxon, Musker, Cookson, Hinnigan, N. Cooper, Scully, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Lee, Barr, Nyman , with U. Shrinivas (mandolin
- The ActorsThe ActorsThe Actors is a 2003 film written and directed by Conor McPherson and starring Dylan Moran and Michael Caine. In supporting roles are Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson and Lena Headey ....
(2003) - Man and Boy: DadaMan and Boy: DadaMan and Boy: Dada is a 2003 opera by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Michael Hastings. It tells the story of a friendship between aging dada artist Kurt Schwitters and a twelve-year-old boy. These two characters and the boy's mother make up the cast of the opera.It was first performed at the...
(2004)- Lester, Hirsch, Hinnigan, Morgan, Maxwell, Hulse, Sparling, Rix, Roach, Gunia, Benjafield, S. Saunders
- The Composer's Cut Series Vol. I: The Draughtsman's ContractThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. I: The Draughtsman's ContractThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. I: The Draughtsman's Contract is the 51st album by Michael Nyman, recorded in 2005 with the Michael Nyman Band and released in 2006...
(2006)- Nyman, Lester, Cathy Thompson, Musker, Hinnigan, Roach, Haram, Findon, Elliott, Lee, Sidwell, Barr, Humphries, Davison, M. Cooper, Bull
- The Composer's Cut Series Vol. II: Nyman/Greenaway RevisitedThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. II: Nyman/Greenaway RevisitedThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. II: Nyman/Greenaway Revisted is the second in a series of albums, all released on the same day, by Michael Nyman to feature concert versions of film scores, in this case, films of Peter Greenaway, and his 52nd release overall. The album is similar to The Essential...
(2006)- Nyman, Lester, Cathy Thompson, Musker, Hinnigan, Roach, Haram, Findon, Elliott, Lee, Sidwell, Gomm, Barr, Humphries, Davison
- The Composer's Cut Series Vol. III: The PianoThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. III: The PianoThe Composer's Cut Series Vol. III: The Piano is the third in a series of albums, all released on the same day, by Michael Nyman to feature concert versions of film scores, in this case, Jane Campion's The Piano, and his 53rd release overall...
(2006)- Nyman, Lester, Catherine Thompson, Humphries, Davison, M. Cooper, Hirsch, Bull, Bruce, Musker, Boyd, Metcalfe, Hinnigan, Max, Pearson, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Barr
- Six Celan SongsSix Celan Songs • The Ballad of Kastriot RexhepiSix Celan Songs • The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi is the 54th album release by Michael Nyman, who not only composed but also conducted both the works on the album. The first, a setting of poetry by Paul Celan, was originally recorded by Ute Lemper and the Michael Nyman Band on The Michael Nyman...
(2006)- Nyman, Lester, Catherine Thompson, McNaught, Musker, Hinnigan, N. Cooper, Laurence, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Buckland, Findo[n], Sparling, Sidwell, Barr, Arch, with Hilary Summers
- Love CountsLove CountsLove Counts is a 2005 opera in two acts by Michael Nyman on a libretto by Michael Hastings.-Performance history:The opera premiered March 12, 2005 at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, directed by Robert Tannenbaum...
(2007)- Humphries, Ibbotson, Kuo, Evans-Jones, Singleton, Widdup, Davies, Barton, Musker, Nick Barr, Barritt, Hinnigan, Schofield, Laurence, Scully, Walley, Elliott, D. Saunders, Fabeck, Fuest, Sparling, Findon, Lee, Sidwell, Gomm, conducted by Paul McGrath, with Helen Davies and Andrew Slater
- Mozart 252Mozart 252Mozart 252 is a 2008 album by Michael Nyman with the Michael Nyman Band, Hilary Summers, and Andrew Slater, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birth...
(2008)- Nyman, Chamberlain, Humphries, Lester, McNaught, Catherine Thompson, Musker, Hinnigan, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Gomm, Sidwell, Lee, Barr, with Hilary Summers, Andrew Slater
- 8 Lust Songs: I Sonetti Lussuriosi8 Lust Songs: I Sonetti Lussuriosi8 Lust Songs: I Sonetti Lussuriosi is a setting by Michael Nyman of 8 pieces of a collection of vulgar poetry from Pietro Aretino’s I Sonetti Lussuriosi. The songs depict a man and woman's sexual desires for one another in varying contexts...
(2008)- Lester, Cathy Thompson, Musker, Hinnigan, Elliott, Roach, Haram, Findon, Sidwell, Lee, Barr, Nyman, with Marie Angel