Michael Nyman

Composed for John Harle in 1990 and is based strictly on a sequence of four chords.

At every turn Nyman has proved eminently practical. Not for him the ivory tower anguish of a tormented composer grappling with abstract systems. Rather he has consistently displayed an openness to collaboration a spry sense ofhumour a literate imagination and an instinctive ability to engage a highly diverse audience.

for Solo Bass Clarinet-Eos commissioned Nyman to write a score for the 10-minute silent film Manhatta a Jazz Age piece lacing together images of inter-way Manhattan with the (projected) words of WaltWhitman. Originally scored for large ensemble this piece is for solo Bass Clarinet.

These four ostinatos composed by Michael Nyman (entitled Bird List Song Drawing II: days 4 and 5 Mouth to Mouth and Melody Lists) amount to over 20 minutes of music.

Par NYMAN MICHAEL. Songs For Tony arrangé pour quatuor de saxophones. Comprend Partition et parties. Durée 10 minutes. Composé 1993. / Rép Classique / Répertoire / Saxophone

Michael Nyman is a composer pianist librettist writer musicologist photographer and film-maker whose work encompasses opera concert music and film soundtracks of which The Draughtsman's Contract and The Piano arethe best-known. Since founding the Michael Nyman Band in 1977 which tours the world he has worked with leading film directors and has collaborated with artists such as Mary Kelly Damon Albarn Carsten Nicolai and the recentOscar winning Man on Wire star Phillippe Petit.Songs For Tony for String Quartet was composed in 1993 in memory of Tony Simmons.'I began writing a saxophone quartet on New Year's Eve 1992. Inthe early afternoon of 5th January 1993 I was informed that my friend and business manager Tony Simmons had died after a long and heroic fight against cancer. I immediately sat down and wrote the music which became the fourthsong in what became a 'memorial' quartet. The previously composed music was scrapped as I decided to give each player in turn an 'aria' of his own.The first song is a transcription of an actual song - 'Mozart onMortality' - which I wrote for the Composers Ensemble in the spring of 1992. The text by Mozart himself is all too appropriate: 'I may not see another day'. The second song is adapted from the music for the scene in JaneCampion's film The Piano where the mute Ada (Holly Hunter) pushes her chief means of communication her piano overboard. This film was the last major deal that Tony negotiated on my behalf. The third song a soprano sax solo isbased on a tune I composed some years ago but was saving for a special occasion.' - Michael Nyman