There are many great film composers and filmmaker match-up's that one can't possibly imagine one without the other. On top of my list is the partnership between Peter Greenaway and British composer Michael Nyman. The yin with the yang, who can easily be separated, but the combination of Greenaway's vivid narration/images with the addition of Nyman's hyper-version of baroque music is something to behold. The other thing that makes my heart warm is the fact that Greenaway's films have a subversive talent of driving people mad who go see his movies. Greenaway has two audiences - those who love his work, and those who can't stand his films. With the additional twist of Nyman's relentless approach to form in the tight compositions by the composer, leaves one for gasping for air. This is what I call art!
"The Draughtsman's Contract" is a film made by Greenaway, and it's an early collaboration between the filmmaker and Nyman. Both have an interest in and vast knowledge of the past and use their medium for their works. Nyman's music is a combination of minimalist strokes, but with a high sense of strong melody. The rhythm of the work is just as important as the memorable melodies, and although the images by Greenaway really goes well with the composer's work, they also stand alone as music to listen to in a room with a well-stocked bar.
The one thing that stands out is that Nyman's work is very British. I see him being very much influenced by Mozart, but equally the British composers such as Henry Purcell and William Byrd. In a theatrical sense, he also belongs to William Shakespeare's theater, in that it can be bawdy and wonderfully entertaining. What makes his music so unique is that he can have one foot in the minimalist camp, but the other is firmly placed in the world of Purcell and Byrd. One of my favorite classical composers, and well worth to fall into the rabbit's hole for.
