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THE PIANO – Michael Nyman
THROWBACK THIRTY
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1993, The Piano is a period romantic drama directed by Jane Campion. The story is set in the mid-19th century and follows a mute Scottish woman named Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), who has been sold into an arranged marriage to a New Zealand frontiersman, Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill), and shipped off to the other side of the world. Ada communicates her feelings and emotions mainly by signing and playing her beloved piano, with her young daughter Flora (Anna Paquin) serving as her sign language interpreter. Ada’s new life on the edge of civilization is full of struggles and hardships – not least because her husband treats her cruelly – but things begin to change when she meets and develops a growing attraction for Baines (Harvey Keitel), a local laborer who desires her piano. As Ada becomes increasingly drawn to Baines, a complex and forbidden romantic relationship develops between them, which threatens the lives of all involved. Read more…
THE CLAIM – Michael Nyman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
I’m not really given to making lofty proclamations here, but this is one guaranteed to ruffle a few feathers: The Claim is Michael Nyman’s best score to date. I’m not talking best as in the complexity of the music, or the craftsmanship: rather, The Claim is Nyman’s first film score in the sense that it overflows with emotion. It’s lush, it sweeps, and it features one of the most attractive central themes the enigmatic Englishman has ever written. Michael Nyman writing for a big-screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge; that I can believe. Michael Nyman writing for an epic Western set at the height of the gold rush; well, that’s another proposition entirely. Read more…
WONDERLAND – Michael Nyman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
In my opinion, Michael Nyman has never been particularly good at “warm” music. Throughout his career, Nyman has always shown an aptitude for using interesting orchestrations and for creating a number of moods – from forlorn longing in The Piano, to coldness and sterility in Gattaca, to horror in Ravenous, to the peculiarity that characterizes his work for Peter Greenaway – but never has he written something that one can immerse oneself in the way that you can with, say, a romantic Williams theme or a soaring Marc Shaiman melody. Therefore, it comes a something of a surprise to realize Wonderland is a bit of a departure for him, in that the music has a kind of welcoming, inviting feeling. It’s music that genuinely wants to be listened to, to be experienced, and to be liked. Read more…
THE END OF THE AFFAIR – Michael Nyman
Original Review by Jonathan Broxton
When Michael Nyman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Gattaca in 1997, he wrote an article in the Guardian newspaper in England chronicling his experience at the ceremony. The long and the short of was that he hated every moment of it, and in doing so questioned why he was writing film music in the first place, as it gave him far less pleasure than writing pure classical music. I have often wondered about Nyman’s work ethic since then, especially as his film music output has increased considerably, both in volume and quality, during the last couple of years. Has he changed his mind about liking film scores? Does he still consider its creation nothing more than a chore he undergoes in order to pay the bills? Or has he undergone a catharsis, awakening a new found love for the music of the silver screen? Read more…
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