Michael Nyman is one of those figures I discovered in the 1970s,
when he was then an “experimental” composer. One of his early
recordings was on Obscure, a label run by Brian Eno. I followed
his work for several years, notably on an early cassette called
Recent English Experimental Music (listed as the oldest
release on the discography page of his
website), then on From Brussels With Love, a compilation
from the now-defunct Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule,
and through his soundtracks for short and long films by Peter
Greenaway.
Nyman has since had a success that has brought him into the
mainstream. His breakthrough was his soundtrack for Peter Greenaway’s
film The Draughtsman’s Contract, where Nyman created
a fusion of 17th century English music (notably Purcell) and
minimalism that hit a nerve at the time. Nyman continued composing,
including scores for other Greenaway films, until his big hit,
in 1993, with his soundtrack for Jane Campion’s film The
Piano, which has sold more than 3 million copies. Nyman’s
fusion of minimal and classical, together with often strong
rhythmic structures, makes his music among the most accessible
of the minimalists.
This documentary presents a brief overview of Nyman’s music
and career, with a pretty standard structure. Interviews with
the composer, interviews with musicians who play in his ensemble,
short excerpts of performances, clips of the composer in various
countries, and so on. The film is competent and moves along
at a nice pace; the 52 minutes pass quickly. But, like most
such documentaries, it barely scratches the surface of a career
as long as Nyman’s. It also lacks any longer performances, which
would allow viewers the better to grasp Nyman’s music. It turns
out that there is a second edition of this documentary in a
2-DVD set, which does contain a short concert; if you’re interested,
look for that version instead.
This is a good way to get a glimpse of one of the most interesting
composers of the last few decades, and one who has always made
music his own way, performing with his own ensemble: the Michael
Nyman Band, a group of a dozen musicians.
Kirk McElhearn
Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just music
on his blog Kirkville
Director: Silvia Beck 
101483 [52:00] 
