Michael Nyman
The Piano

THE REVIEW

What a nuisance minimalism is, what a nuisance classical music is.

The foundational pillars of the poignant music of Michael Nyman are the two main concepts through which instrumental classical music expresses itself in our days, with much homage to Bach, Haydn, Chopin, and many more.

Nyman is someone who knows music, and his repeated collaborations with internationally renowned directors like Jane Campion and Andrew Niccol testify that he is not just any musician. It was Jane Campion, in 1992, who commissioned him to create the entire soundtrack for her upcoming "The Piano" (USA, 1993), and the English artist, bolstered by the successes already had with the hit "Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds" from "The Draughtsman's Contract", delivers a work of exquisite craftsmanship, full of those minimalist references that consistently revolve around three or four basic themes. This homogeneous work for "The Piano" presents itself as equally homogeneous in its cold passion. Thus, the hypnotic theme of "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" returns unscathed in The Promise, "The Sacrifice" and "Deep Into The Forest", fitting perfectly into exquisite variations on a theme that, like "Here To There" - music for the "Tv7" signature tune, RaiUno - will become unconscious hits worldwide. The piano performances of "Big My Secret" and "The Mood That Passes Through You" are heart-wrenching, while certain heartfelt orchestration peeks through in the aforementioned "Deep Into The Forest" and the definitive "Dreams Of A Journey", the jingle of the closing credits.

Needless to say, the film must be seen in order to fully appreciate all the Nyman-esque nuances, and if this product succeeds in being liked, it is mainly because of this small genius of our times. For those who do not like minimalism, forget the vainglorious contemporary Italian pianists: Nyman is someone who knows how to do minimalism really well.