From: Espen.H.Koht@dartmouth.edu (Espen H. Koht)
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc
Subject: Re: MICHAEL NYMAN - PETER GREENAWAY
Date: 10 Apr 92 15:50:59 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

In article <rimikis.702560161@theseas>
rimikis@ntua.gr (Giwrgos Rimikis) writes:

> 
> 
>                              MICHAEL NYMAN
> 		    An article presenting the works
> 		    of the charismatic British film

   Thank you for this informative article.  I'm a great fan of both
Greenaway's films and of Nyman's music.  Let me just add some comments
and follow-ups. 
> Nyman has created  unique soundtracks that are not  only to
> be appreciated as just film music, but also as self-supporting music
> masterpieces.
   I completely agree!  
   
> 	He started composing soundtracks in 1968. As far as I know, his
> first Peter Greenaway soundtrack was 'H is for House' (1976). He has 
> composed the music for all the feature films of Peter Greenaway, except
> 'The Belly of an Architect'. Those features are:
> 
> 	- The Falls (1980)
> 	- The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)
> 	- One Zed and Two Noughts (1985)
> 	- Drowning by Numbers (1987)
> 	- The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover (1989)
> 	- Prospero's Books (1991)

     He has also written the music for many of Greenaway's shorter
films, like 'Vertical Features Remake' (1979) (a subtle mocking on the
structuralist movement) and others.  I'm not sure which or if at all
Nyman has been involved with Greenaway on any of his many films
produced for television.

> 	Nyman's music is very simple in structure. It contains harmonic
> motives that are repeated through all the composition. What makes this
> repetition unique is his amazing talent to produce numerous variations
> of the  same theme. Moreover Nyman's music presents admirable structural
> and rythmical ties between those variations.

  In no soundtrack is this better illustrated than in 'the Falls'. 
This movie is not easy find, and is probably the least 'accessible' (in
terms of content) of Greenaway's features.  It's a study of 92 people
whose surnames begin with the syllable 'Fall' and who have mysteriously
fallen prey to a 'Violent Unknown Event, reaching to outrageous
extremes to find a rational common thread.  Its 3 hours long and each
case is introduced by its number and a short varitation of four bars
(58-61) from the closing of the slow movement of Mozart's Sinfonia
Concertante for Violin K.364, to which Nyman's attention had been drawn
by Greenaway.  This was later to be explored further in the sound track
to 'Drowning by Numbers'

>  Author: George Rimikis
>          April 3rd 1992
> 
> 
> NOTE BY THE AUTHOR: The author would very much appreciate your comments
> on this article, as well as on Michael Nyman's - Peter Greenaway's work
> in general. He also looks for early film scores  of Michael Nyman. Any 
> possible assistance provided would be greatly appreciated.
> Please respond to:
> 			rimikis@theseas.ntua.gr

   I have just recently been able to complete my collection of Nyman
scores for Greenaway films here in the US (with the exception of 'the
Falls' which I'm not sure if is released).  The two last films have
been readilly available for some time now, but 'the Draughtman's
Contract', 'Drowning by Numbers' and 'A Zed and Two Noughts' I only
found recently available from Caroline records.  
    Of Nyman's other works the only ones I have come across here in the
US are his opera 'The man who mistook his wife for a hat' and the
'Michael Nyman Songbook' a collection of pieces by Shakespeare, Paul
Celan, Mozart and Rimbaud wit a Nyman score and sung by Ute Lemper.  On
the other hand my searchs haven't been extensive.  
    
Espen
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc