I DON’T like the music of Nyman when it is filled with simplistc and saccharine harmonies, film music for sentimental romances (which is often indeed the origin of his pieces). But I like it when it’s propulsive, upbeat, repetitive and dance-like, which happens often enough for me not to give up on the composer.
I’ve reviewed (the links are to those I’ve transferred on this website, the rest is on Amazon.com):
Piano Pieces (Big My Secret / Lost & Found / The Mood That Passes Through You / Deep Sleep Playing / Silvered-Fingered Fling / The Attraction of the Pedalling Ankle / The Heart Asks Pleasure First / Time Lapse / Fly Drive / If / Move / Digital Tragedy / Sheep in Tides / Lost & Found / The Heart Asks Pleasure First). Jeroen Van Veen in “Minimal Piano Collection”. 9 x Brilliant Classics (2006)
1-100. Piano Circus (with works of Fitkin, Seddon, Rackham). Argo 433 522-2
String Quartets Nos 1, 2 (1988) & 3 (1990). Balanescu Quartet (recorded November 1990). Argo 433 092-2 (1991)
Tango for string quartet (2007). The Smith Quartet (recorded September 2009 and January 2010), in “Dance”, with works of Tunde Jegede, Joe Cutler, John Adams, Graham Fitkin, Andrew Poppy, Michael Finnissy, Tan Dun, Kevin Volans, Michael Nyman, Jon Lord, Gabriel Prokofiev, Elena Kats-Chernin, Domacha Dennehy, Django Bates. Signum Classics SIGCD236 (2011)
Self-laudatory hymn of Inanna and her omnipotence. James Bowman, Fretwork 12/6/92
Time Will Pronounce. The London Trio 19/10/92
The Convertibility of lute strings. Virginia Black 19/11/92
For John Cage. London Brass 21/11/92
In “Time Will Pronounce” – the 1992 Commissions. Argo 440 282-2 (1993)
Where the Bee Dances. John Harle, Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Ivor Bolton 7/91 (+ Bryars The Green Ray, Wesbrook Bean Rows and Blues Shots). Argo 433 847-2
Trysting Fields (1992). Daniil Grishin (viola), Kremerata Baltica, Gidon Kremer (recorded 8-11 December 2008), in “De Profundis” (with works of Sibelius, Pärt, Šerkšnytė, Schumann Nyman, Schubert, Tickmayer, Shostakovich, Auerbach, Piazzolla, Pelēcis, Schnittke). Nonesuch 7559 79969 9 (2010)
Prospero’s Book. Sarah Leonard, Marie Angel, Ute Lemper, Deborah Conway, Michael Nyman Band, Nyman ‘91. Decca/London/Argo 425 224-2 (1991) and Japanese editions