The Piano: Original Music From The Film By Jane Campion [SOUNDTRACK]

Michael Nyman (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Michael Nyman
• Audio CD (October 19, 1993)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B000000WK1
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,233 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Michael Nyman came of age as a classical composer in the radical London of the late '60s. His work embraces multiple vernaculars (jazz, avant garde, conceptual art) and helped cement the foundation of what came to be known as minimalism. Decades into his career, Nyman's score to Jane Campion's film The Piano made him a star. The movie's themes of colonialism and silence (its protagonist, portrayed by Holly Hunter, cannot speak) were perfectly aligned with his longtime interests in world and ambient music. Horn players assist members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in fleshing out Nyman's stately, hymn-like motifs. On the more heavily orchestrated cues, sentimentality wins out over minimalist restraint; the best tracks feature Nyman on solo piano, playing the rudimentary, faux period repertoire of Hunter's character. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAUNTING, UNFORGETTABLE SCORE MATCHES FILM, July 8, 1998

By	RALPH PETERS (CLOVIS, CA USA) - See all my reviews

THE PIANO is that rare soundtrack that stands on its own as great music, but also evokes images and emotions of the classic Jane Campion film it was composed for. In this way, it is one of the most profoundly successful movie scores in film history. The music is filled with longing, turmoil, sadness, and fulfillment. It fits neither pop, classical, or traditional movie standards (neither does the film); it seems to exist on its own plane, quite apart from anything else you've heard, or like a dream you've had but can't recall in detail, only in emotion. It also never feels dated and does not grow dull after repeated listenings. That is an achievement in itself

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple Eloquence, April 18, 2004

By	Shaun Williams (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The music in The Piano wouldn't measure up to some classical music in complexity, but it is heartfelt and flowing as any I have ever heard. I really can believe that this woman is communicating through her music. In addition, I love how when the piano sits on the seashore, she plays a melody(the promise) that seems to almost capture the rythym of the waves. This was my favorite music of the film. Other parts of the soundtrack seem to suggest the cloudiness and mood of the New Zealand setting, a land full of lush and wild forests. And of course, it all embodies the mystery that is Ada.

Many composers seem to get lost in conundrums of complexity. Some works, especially etudes, tend to be full of notes but not feeling. I find it refreshing to hear this music which puts me at ease as though I were standing on a misty beach.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Piano, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

The first time that I saw The Piano, it was on videotape. I didn't end up to be a huge fan of the movie itself, but I was extremely moved by the music. I ended up rewinding the scene on the beach (when Holly Hunter's character is reunited with her piano) over and over again, just to listen to the beautiful piano music that Michael Nyman had written. The music was like another character in the film- very expressive and so simplistically complex. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the soundtrack, and to buy the sheetmusic. I just wanted to write this review, because it takes more than just saying that you think something's good to concince someone that they should buy it...you know that the music is amazing when you drive your roomates crazy rewinding a scene from a movie a million times- just to get to listen to it one more time.