The Kiss and Other Movements
Encyclopedia
The Kiss and Other Movements is the sixth album release by Michael Nyman
, and the fifth recording (fourth full album) with the Michael Nyman Band
. The title track is an "opera
tic 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 used in a video art project by Richards of the same name. The album includes music from Peter Greenaway
's Making a Splash and 26 Bathrooms (originally part of the concert work, Memorial
), an excerpt of Nyman's unfinished opera, Tristram Shandy
, and a concert piece, "Tango Between the Lines." This is the inaugural album for longtime band member David Roach.
series of artists videos, in which Nyman's "opera
tic duet" plays as Paul Richards
creates a painting of a kiss with a Quantel Paintbox
. By design, the male voice is a trained singer, the female voice is a self-trained, pop, non-music reader, preferably whose native language is not English, possibly representing an Etruscan
. The parts were written for Omar Ebrahim
and Anne Pigalle
, who performed them in the video. Dagmar Krause
replaced Pigalle for the album, and brought to it a darker sonority. The text is based on a collection of 15th century texts about art. The theme line "Images were introduced because many people cannot retain what they hear, but rememember if they see images" is intended by Nyman as ironic—the text originally referred to Biblical scenes versus texts from the Bible. The final bars of The Kiss were later used as a prelude to Nyman's opera with Victoria Hardie, Vital Statistics, with which it shares a common theme. The theme is used to similar effect in their opera, Facing Goya
, which is a four-act opera built on the remains of Vital Statistics, which flopped and was withdrawn.
The song is based on "Slawkenbergius's Tale" from Volume IV, Chapter 1 of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
, which depicts a visitor to Strasbourg from the Promontory of Noses. It collects together most of the statements made about the visitor by Strasbourg's residents, verbatim from the novel by Laurence Sterne
. As recorded, it is performed as a solo by soprano Sarah Leonard. All of the statements are included in the lyrics sheet, but lines 3-8 of the final stanza are omitted on the recording. The vocal line is mostly, but not entirely, in monotone, with the majority of musical ideas carried by the instrumental music, melodies built on a harmonic pinning of the dominant sevenths A, F, B, and, D.
', bringing together two different but related musical materials. The connection with the tango
is somewhat imaginary." This is all Nyman had to say about the piece, the shortest, on the album.
, assembled from music used in Peter Greenaway
's Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London and Oxfordshire, 1985. Nyman describes the piece in the liner notes mainly in terms of an exploration of the beauty of Sarah Leonard's upper register, in which he does not have her use words.
's 1984
film
, Making a Splash, a short documentary
about synchronized swimming
. It is the same recording used in the film, although for the film it was heavily edited and fades out at the end rather than reaching its conclusion. Eventually, Nyman expanded the piece into an eight-movement concert work lasting approximately 40 minutes, although the complete version has never been released on a commercial recording. "Stroking" is Movement 2, "Gliding" Movement 5, and "Synchronizing" Movement 8—Nyman describes Movement 5, a slow movement, as a "remake" of Movement 2. Six movements are built on the chord progression
D-G-C-A, derived from a madrigal by Claudio Monteverdi
. The remaining two movements are built on the chord progression C-E-flat-A-flat-G.
with
Recorded and mixed by Neil Drake and Paddy Kingsland
at Music Works
and Paddy Kingsland Studio
Digital Editing at Nova Studio
Mastered at CBS Studios
Re-mastered for compact disc
by David Cunningham and Michael J. Dutton, PRT Studios, 1990
Produced by Michael Nyman and David Cunningham
Cover painting and portraits of Michael Nyman by Paul Richards
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...
, and the fifth recording (fourth full album) with the Michael Nyman Band
Michael Nyman Band
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 title track is an "opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic duet" between Dagmar Krause
Dagmar Krause
Dagmar 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...
and Omar Ebrahim
Omar Ebrahim
Omar Ebrahim is an English baritone vocalist and actor. He specializes in the performance of contemporary classical music....
, based on a painting of the same title by Paul Richards
Paul Richards (artist)
Paul Richards is a British figurative artist and part-time lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Art.Richards was educated at St Martins School of Art and Maidstone School of Art. He came to prominence in the seventies for performance-based art he produced with Bruce McLean in Nice Style, the...
, which is depicted on the cover, and used in a video art project by Richards of the same name. The album includes music from 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...
's Making a Splash and 26 Bathrooms (originally part of the concert work, Memorial
Memorial (composition)
Memorial is an epic funeral march-like piece, composed by Michael Nyman around 1984-1985. This composition is one of the most praised in the work of Michael Nyman. Its first commercial recording was on the soundtrack of The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover and has been rerecorded on the Michael...
), an excerpt of Nyman's unfinished opera, Tristram Shandy
Tristram Shandy (opera)
Tristram Shandy is an unfinished opera project by Michael Nyman based on his favorite novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne, begun in 1981...
, and a concert piece, "Tango Between the Lines." This is the inaugural album for longtime band member David Roach.
The Kiss
The Kiss was commissioned as part of a Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
series of artists videos, in which Nyman's "opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic duet" plays as Paul Richards
Paul Richards (artist)
Paul Richards is a British figurative artist and part-time lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Art.Richards was educated at St Martins School of Art and Maidstone School of Art. He came to prominence in the seventies for performance-based art he produced with Bruce McLean in Nice Style, the...
creates a painting of a kiss with a Quantel Paintbox
Quantel Paintbox
The Quantel Paintbox was a dedicated computer graphics workstation for composition of broadcast television video and graphics. Its design emphasizes the studio workflow efficiency required for live news production...
. By design, the male voice is a trained singer, the female voice is a self-trained, pop, non-music reader, preferably whose native language is not English, possibly representing an Etruscan
Etruscan language
The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization, in what is present-day Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna...
. The parts were written for Omar Ebrahim
Omar Ebrahim
Omar Ebrahim is an English baritone vocalist and actor. He specializes in the performance of contemporary classical music....
and Anne Pigalle
Anne Pigalle
Anne Pigalle is a singer and multimedia artist .-Biography:She grew up in Paris, moved to London, and has performed all over the world, including Europe, Japan, America, Mexico, Timbuktu in Africa.In 1985, she released the album Everything Could Be So Perfect with Trevor Horn on ZTT Records, and...
, who performed them in the video. Dagmar Krause
Dagmar Krause
Dagmar 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...
replaced Pigalle for the album, and brought to it a darker sonority. The text is based on a collection of 15th century texts about art. The theme line "Images were introduced because many people cannot retain what they hear, but rememember if they see images" is intended by Nyman as ironic—the text originally referred to Biblical scenes versus texts from the Bible. The final bars of The Kiss were later used as a prelude to Nyman's opera with Victoria Hardie, Vital Statistics, with which it shares a common theme. The theme is used to similar effect in their 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...
, which is a four-act opera built on the remains of Vital Statistics, which flopped and was withdrawn.
Nose-List Song
"Nose-List Song" is the fourth section of Nyman's unfinished opera, Tristram ShandyTristram Shandy (opera)
Tristram Shandy is an unfinished opera project by Michael Nyman based on his favorite novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne, begun in 1981...
The song is based on "Slawkenbergius's Tale" from Volume IV, Chapter 1 of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is a novel by Laurence Sterne. It was published in nine volumes, the first two appearing in 1759, and seven others following over the next 10 years....
, which depicts a visitor to Strasbourg from the Promontory of Noses. It collects together most of the statements made about the visitor by Strasbourg's residents, verbatim from the novel by Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne was an Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy; but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics...
. As recorded, it is performed as a solo by soprano Sarah Leonard. All of the statements are included in the lyrics sheet, but lines 3-8 of the final stanza are omitted on the recording. The vocal line is mostly, but not entirely, in monotone, with the majority of musical ideas carried by the instrumental music, melodies built on a harmonic pinning of the dominant sevenths A, F, B, and, D.
Tango Between the Lines
"A musical 'alloyAlloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
', bringing together two different but related musical materials. The connection with the 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...
is somewhat imaginary." This is all Nyman had to say about the piece, the shortest, on the album.
Images Were Introduced
Bearing the name of a key line in The Kiss, this piece is the sixth movement of the larger work, MemorialMemorial (composition)
Memorial is an epic funeral march-like piece, composed by Michael Nyman around 1984-1985. This composition is one of the most praised in the work of Michael Nyman. Its first commercial recording was on the soundtrack of The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover and has been rerecorded on the Michael...
, assembled from music used in 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...
's Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London and Oxfordshire, 1985. Nyman describes the piece in the liner notes mainly in terms of an exploration of the beauty of Sarah Leonard's upper register, in which he does not have her use words.
Water Dances
Water Dances forms the score of Peter GreenawayPeter 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...
's 1984
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Making a Splash, a short documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about synchronized swimming
Synchronized swimming
Synchronized swImming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music....
. It is the same recording used in the film, although for the film it was heavily edited and fades out at the end rather than reaching its conclusion. Eventually, Nyman expanded the piece into an eight-movement concert work lasting approximately 40 minutes, although the complete version has never been released on a commercial recording. "Stroking" is Movement 2, "Gliding" Movement 5, and "Synchronizing" Movement 8—Nyman describes Movement 5, a slow movement, as a "remake" of Movement 2. Six movements are built on the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
D-G-C-A, derived from a madrigal by Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
. The remaining two movements are built on the chord progression C-E-flat-A-flat-G.
Track listing
- The Kiss 9:05
- Nose-List Song 7:01
- Tango Between the Lines 4:55
- Images Were Introduced 7:36
Water Dances - Stroking 5:32
- Gliding 3:04
- Synchronizing 6:47
Personnel
Performed by the Michael Nyman BandMichael Nyman Band
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...
- Alexander BalanescuAlexander BalanescuAlexander Bălănescu is a violinist and founder of the Balanescu Quartet.He emigrated with his family to Israel in 1969....
, 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.... - 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...
, TenorTenor 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...
, 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... - David Fuest, 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...
, 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... - 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...
, 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...
, SopranoSoprano 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... - 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...
, PianoPianoThe 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...
, KurzweilKurzweil Educational SystemsKurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. is an American based company that specializes in providing reading and writing software to assist people who are blind or partially sighted, or who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder... - Elisabeth Perry, 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...
- David Roach, Soprano, Alto Saxophone
- Steve Saunders, 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"...
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...
, VoiceSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Omar EbrahimOmar EbrahimOmar Ebrahim is an English baritone vocalist and actor. He specializes in the performance of contemporary classical music....
, Voice - Sarah Leonard, Voice
- Mark Bennett, TrumpetTrumpetThe 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...
- Lowri Blake, 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...
- Martin Drower, Trumpet
- Rosemary Furniss Violin
- David PurserDavid PurserDavid Purser is an English soccer player who last played for Real Maryland Monarchs in the USL Second Division.-College:...
, Trombone - David Staff, Trumpet
- Crispian Steele-Perkins, Trumpet
- Theresa Ward, Violin
- Nigel Warren-Green, Cello
- Jonathan Williams, Cello
Recorded and mixed by Neil Drake and Paddy Kingsland
Paddy Kingsland
Paddy Kingsland is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and television whilst working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Educated at Eggars Grammar School, Alton, in Hampshire, he joined the BBC as a tape editor before moving on to...
at Music Works
Music Works
Music Works, also Music Works Personal, was a music notation sequencing program for Windows 9x that used midi protocol technology. It was developed by Brisbane, Australia based Middle Earth Software in the late 90s, which then changed its name to Tierra Media . Its native file format was .MWW, but...
and Paddy Kingsland Studio
Digital Editing at Nova Studio
Mastered at CBS Studios
CBS Studios
Can refer to the following : *CBS, Television Network.*CBS Studio Center, a television and motion picture production facility in Studio City, California*CBS Broadcast Center, main New York City studio complex on W...
Re-mastered for 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 ,...
by David Cunningham and Michael J. Dutton, PRT Studios, 1990
1990 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.-Events:*January 21 – MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with British band Squeeze...
Produced by Michael Nyman and David Cunningham
Cover painting and portraits of Michael Nyman by Paul Richards
Paul Richards (artist)
Paul Richards is a British figurative artist and part-time lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Art.Richards was educated at St Martins School of Art and Maidstone School of Art. He came to prominence in the seventies for performance-based art he produced with Bruce McLean in Nice Style, the...