Michael Nyman

This work was written by Michael Nyman towards the end of 1997 commissioned by the English Sinfonia to celebrate the orchestra's taking up residence in Stevenage Hertfordshire. The first performance was given by the EnglishSinfonia under Bramwell Toevy at the Royal Festival Hall London on 14 April 1998.Duration c. 17mins. Instrumentation:; 2 FLUTES; 2 OBOES; 2 CLARINETS IN Bb; 2 BASSOONS; 2 HORNS IN F; 2 TRUMPETS IN Bb; TIMPANI; STRINGS

Musique A Grande Vitesse (MGV ) translates as 'high speed music' and was commissioned by the Festival de Lille for the inauguration of the TGV North European Paris-Lille line in 1993.The piece runs continuously, but was conceived as an abstract, imaginary journey- or rather five inter-connected journeys, each ending with a slow, mainly stepwise melody which is only heard in its 'genuine' form when the piece reaches its destination.Thematic 'transformation' is a key to MGV as a whole. Throughout the piece ideas - rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, motivic, textural - constantly change their identity as they pass through different musical 'environments'.The opening bars establish both a recurrent rhythmic principle - 9, 11, or 13-beat rhythmic cycles heard against a regular 8 - and a harmonic process - chord sequences (mainly over C and E) which have the note E in common. (Coincidentally, MGV begins in C and ends in E). A later scalic, syncopated figure (again first heard over C, E and A) begins the second section, featuring Brass, in D flat.The topography of MGV should be experienced without reference to planning, description or timetables. The piece's tempo changes and unpredictable slowings down bear no logical relation to the high speed of the Paris-Lille journey, while the temptation to treat MGV as a concerto grosso, with the Michael Nyman band as the ripeno, was resisted: more suitably the band (amplified in live performance) lays down the tracks on which MGV runs. / Orchestre

Full Score-Symphony No.5 by Michael Nyman. Premiered on 2 May 2013 in Auditorio Miguel Delibes Valladolid by Orquesta de Castilla y Leon conducted by Jaime Martin. The symphony is one of nineteen Nyman hasplanned to release from 2014 onwards. Arranged for Orchestra duration time is approximately: 20 minutes.

Full Score-The first feature film collaboration between Peter Greenaway and Michael Nyman made in 1983 following a major series of short/independent films they made together - including The Falls and A Walk throughH. A draughtsman is commissioned by a landowner in the late 17th century to make 12 drawings of his property. Every note of the score was derived from the music of Purcell and was written for the Michael NymanBand. This concert suite which was made in 2001 and first performed in Hanover was specially revised for an all-Nyman concert given by the composer and the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall Londonin June 2003. Written for Orchestra and Harpsichord the suite lasts approximately 16 minutes.

Set of Parts for Nyman's 'Masque Arias' composed in 1991 for Brass Quintet. Instrumentation: 2 Trumpets in B Flat Horn in F Trombone Tuba. Duration 12 minutes.

Full Score-Nyman's 2011 The Prologue to ‘Dido and Aeneas’ is a prologue to Henry Purcell's opera on a libretto by Nahum Tate. The libretto is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid. It recountsthe love of Dido Queen of Carthage for the Trojan hero Aeneas and her despair when he abandons her. This edition of the work is scored for SATB String section and Harpsichord.

MGV (musique grand vitesse) was conceived as a set of interconnected journeys performed without pause but listed as nine separate tracks on Michael Nyman’s 23rd album. Since then Christopher Wheeldon has choreographed a danceto the work so there is now a DGV (dance grand vitesse) to add to the layers.When the French city of Lille produced a festival in 1993 to celebrate the inauguration of TGV (train grand vitesse fast train) service fromParis they could not have chosen a more apt composer for their event. Nyman's work The Piano Concerto was also premiered at the concert but it is the dynamic locomotion of MGV which aurally suggests the feeling and sound oftravel by train. Though as the composer writes ‘the topography of MGV should be experienced without reference to planning description or timetables.’

The fifth feature film that Peter Greenaway and Michael Nyman produced in 1991 Prospero's Books is a reworking of The Tempest. The score was written for the Michael Nyman Band and made into a suite for chamber orchestra in 1994.The first performance was given by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ivor Bolton in January 1995.

Score for this piece which was comissioned by London Brass and first performed in 1992.Quoting composer: The piece was completed without title on 12th August 1992. A title once considered was Canons Chorales and Waltzes but this was dropped since there was only one canon (the opening) and only genuine waltz (apart from a passage towards the end which superimposes the canon over a waltz rhythm). The following day I read the paper that John Cage had died - the day I finished writing. For this reason but mainly because Cage was the most revolutionary practical music thinker of the 20th century this piece is dedicated to him. His influence on my music may be perceived underthe 'very un-Cagein' surface: though stylistically there may be little in For John Cage that may have been to his taste I hope he would at least have appreciated its diversity its non-simultaneous multiplicity.Parts are available on hire or special order. Duration 15 minutes.

Full Score-Symphony No. 2 began its life as Pozcatek a 'Michael Nyman Band' 'soundtrack' that was written for the Michael Nyman Band to accompany a selection of sequences from post-war Polish films thatNyman selected and edited in 2009. That work has already been networked a Pozcatek for piano trio (recorded by the Fidelio Trio for MN Records) and a song cycle 'Ex Votos Songs' with texts transcribed from Mexican ExVotos hence the possibly subtitle for this symphony: Ex Photos. The symphony which was completed in 2013 consists of four interconnected movements and is Arranged for orchestra. Duration of approximately: 28 minutes.