Michael Nyman Biography (1944-)

Full name, Michael Lawrence Nyman; born March 23, 1944, in London, England; son of Mark and Jeannette Nyman; married Aet Toome, May 16, 1970; children: two daughters. Addresses: Contact: Screen Composers of America, 2451 Nichols Canyon Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90046-1734.

Nationality
British
Gender
Male
Occupation
Composer, music director, musician, writer
Birth Details
March 23, 1944
London, England

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Film Work
  • Music Producer
  • A la folie (also known as Alice et Elsa and Six Days, Six Nights), New Light Films, 1994
  • Der Unhold (also known as The Ogre and Le Roi des aulnes), Kino International, 1996
  • Wonderland, USA Films, 1999
  • Music Director
  • Drowning by Numbers, Vendex, 1988
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (also known as Le Cuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant and Spica), Erato, 1989
  • Prospero's Books (also known as L'Ultima tempesta),Miramax, 1991
  • Other Film Work
  • Director, Love Love Love, 1968
  • Music arranger, Keep It Up Downstairs, 1976
  • Music supervisor, The Draughtsman's Contract, United Artists,1982
  • Music arranger (Stephen Foster and Philip Phile pieces) and orchestrator,Ravenous (also known as Voraz), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1999
  • Film Appearances
  • Himself, I'll Stake My Cremona to a Jew's Trump, 1986
  • The Michael Nyman Songbook (documentary), London Records, 1992
  • Colonna sonora (documentary), 1992
  • Contact, Hell's Paradox, 1995
  • Television Work
  • Miniseries
  • Orchestrator, Nuremberg, TNT, 2000
  • Television Appearances
  • Movies
  • Man in crowd, The Final Score, 1992
  • Episodic
  • Court pianist, "Letters, Riddles and Writs," Not Mozart, BBC-TV, 1991
  • RECORDINGS
  • Albums
  • The Michael Nyman Songbook, London Records, 1992
  • The Convertibility of Lute Strings, Argo, 1993
  • For John Cage, Argo, 1993
  • Goodbye Frankie, Goodbye Benny, Argo, 1993
  • Other recordings include The Draughtsman's Contract, A Zedand Two Noughts, Drowning by Numbers, The Cook, the Thief, HisWife, and Her Lover, Bell Set Number One, and The Fourth Wall, all Virgin; Decay Music, Obscure; Michael Nyman, Sheet; Ariel Songs: Come and Go; While You Here Do Snoring Lie; Full Fathom Five, I Am an Unusual Thing, and Lorgie Parisienne, all Decca; The Kiss and Other Movements, Caroline; And Do They Do and Zoo Caprices, both That's Entertainment Records; The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, CBS Masterworks; Out of the Ruins, Silva Screen;Prospero's Books, String Quartets 1-3, and The Essential Michael Nyman Band, all London.
  • WRITINGS
  • Film Scores
  • 5 Postcards from Capital Cities, 1967
  • Keep It Up Downstairs, 1976
  • Goole by Numbers, 1976
  • A Walk through H (also known as The Re-Incarnation of an Ornithologist), 1976
  • Tom Phillips, 1977
  • 1-100, 1978
  • Vertical Features Remake, 1978
  • The Falls, 1980
  • Terence Conran (also known as Insight: Terence Conran), 1981
  • The Draughtsman's Contract, United Artists, 1982
  • Frozen Music, 1983
  • Nelly's Version, 1983
  • The Coastline (also known as The Sea in Their Blood), 1983
  • The Cold Room (also known as The Prisoner and Cold Room-Kalter Hauch der Vergangenheit), 1984
  • Making a Splash, 1984
  • L'Ange frenetique, 1985
  • A Zed and Two Noughts (also known as A Zoo: A Zed and Two Noughts), Skouras, 1985
  • The Kiss, 1985
  • Inside Rooms: 26 Bathrooms, London & Oxfordshire, 1985 (also known as 26 Bathrooms), 1985
  • Ballet Mechanique, 1986
  • The Disputation, 1986
  • Le Miracule, 1986
  • I'll Stake My Cremona to a Jew's Trump, 1986
  • Photographic Exhibits, 1987
  • Drowning by Numbers, Vendex, 1988
  • Death in the Seine (also known as Les Morts de la Seine), 1989
  • Monsieur Hire (also known as M. Hire), Orion, 1989
  • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (also known as LeCuisinier, le voleur, sa femme et son amant and Spica), Erato, 1989
  • Le Mari de la coiffeuse (also known as The Hairdresser's Husband), 1990
  • Prospero's Books (also known as L'Ultima tempesta),Miramax, 1991
  • Les Enfants volants (also known as The Flying Children), 1991
  • The Fall of Icarus, 1992
  • The Piano (also known as La Lecon de piano), Miramax, 1993
  • A la folie (also known as Alice et Elsa and Six Days, Six Nights), New Light Films, 1994
  • Mesmer, Mayfair Entertainment/Nomadic Pictures, 1994
  • Carrington, 1995
  • Anne no nikki (also known as The Diary of Anne Frank), AF Production, 1995
  • Der Unhold (also known as The Ogre and Le Roi des aulnes), Kino International, 1996
  • Gattaca, Columbia, 1997
  • Ravenous (also known as Voraz), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1999
  • How to Make Dhyrak: A Dramatic Work for Three Players and Camera, Truncated with Only Two Players (music adapted from Ravenous), 1999
  • Wonderland, USA Films, 1999
  • The End of the Affair, Columbia, 1999
  • Nabbie no koi (also known as Nabbie's Love), 1999
  • The Claim, United Artists, 2000
  • Other Film Music
  • Additional music, Brimstone and Treacle, 1982
  • Song "Water Dances," La Stanza del figlio (also known as The Son's Room), Bac Films, 2001
  • Television Music
  • Movies
  • Act of God, 1980
  • The Final Score, 1992
  • Series
  • Fairly Secret Army, 1984
  • Fairly Secret Army Series 2, 1987
  • Theme song, Titch, CiTV, 1998
  • Miniseries
  • Nuremberg, TNT, 2000
  • Specials
  • The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, ICA-TV, 1987
  • Dancing in Numbers, Channel 4 (England), 1988
  • Act without Words 1, 2000
  • Episodic
  • Touch the Earth," Danceworks, BBC2-TV, 1988
  • "Out of the Ruins," 40 Minutes, BBC-TV, 1989
  • "Men of Steel," Inside Story, BBC-TV, 1990
  • "Letters, Riddles and Writs" (opera), Not Mozart, BBC-TV, 1991
  • Operas
  • The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Institute of ContemporaryArts, London, 1986
  • La Princesse de Milan (dance opera; written for a ballet by KarineSaporta; based on text from William Shakespeare's The Tempest), Avignon Festival, 1991
  • (With Jeremy Newson) Letters, Riddles and Writs, Shaw Theatre, London, 1992
  • Dance Music
  • (With Paul Richards and Bruce McLean) The Masterwork/Award-Winning Fishknife (performance art/theatre work), Riverside Studios, London, 1979
  • A Broken Set of Rules (ballet), Royal Opera House, London, 1984
  • Portraits in Reflection (ballet), Lucinda Child's Dance Company, first concert performance, Almeida Theatre, London, 1985; first dance performance, Joyce Theatre, 1986
  • And Do They Do (ballet), London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Sadler's Wells Theatre, London, 1986
  • Touch the Earth (ballet), Rosemary Butcher Dance Company, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1987
  • Miniatures (solo dance work), The Place Theatre, London, 1988
  • Configurations (for three or four dancers), Queen Elizabeth Hall,London, 1989
  • (With Frederic Flamand and Fabrizio Plessi) The Fall of Icarus, Theatre de le Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium, 1989
  • (With Francois Raffinot) Garden Party, first produced in Montpellier, France, 1990
  • Video Game Music
  • Enemy Zero, 1996
  • Other
  • Experimental Music: Cage and Beyond, Schirmer Books, 1974
  • Also contributor to magazines and journals, including The Listener, Studio International, Spectator, and New Statesman.

Further Reference

Adaptations

  • Compositions by Nyman recorded by others include 1-100, November 14, 1986, p. 26. Piano Circus, London; Polish Love Song; Mary Wiegold/The Composers Ensemble, NMC; and Where the Bee Dances, John Harle/Bournemouth Sinfonietta, London; music from A Zed and Two Noughts used inthe television series Ryori no tetsujin (also known as Iron Chef.
OTHER SOURCES
    Periodicals
    • New Statesman,
    • New York Times, March 15, 1992, p. H36.
    • Time, October 26, 1987, p. 126.
    Electronic
    • Official website, http://www.michaelnyman.org.