The Piano | ||||
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art by Dave McKean
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Soundtrack album by Michael Nyman | ||||
Released | October 19, 1993 | |||
Genre | Soundtrack | |||
Length | 56:47 (USA) 60:40 (UK, USA remastered edition) |
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Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | Michael Nyman | |||
Michael Nyman chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Piano | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Entertainment Weekly | C+ link |
The Piano is the original soundtrack, on the Virgin Records label, of the 1993 Academy Award-winning film The Piano. The original score was composed by Michael Nyman and is his twentieth album release. Despite being called a "soundtrack", this is a partial score re-recording, as Nyman himself also performs the piano on the album (whereas the film version is performed by lead actress Holly Hunter). The music is performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nyman with Michael Nyman Band members John Harle, David Roach and Andrew Findon performing the prominent saxophone work.
The album was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (but lost to the score of Heaven & Earth) and the BAFTA Award for Best Score (lost to the score of Schindler's List).
The album design and illustration are by Dave McKean.
The main theme is based on a traditional Scottish melody titled "Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa".
Note: Track 20 (The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise) was not included on the American release until the remastered version in 2004, but included on the British version in the initial release.
The music has been re-recorded numerous times by different artists, and became the basis of Nyman's 1994 composition, The Piano Concerto which debuted in 1994. Perhaps the most unusual rerecording is by conductor Bill Broughton and the Orchestra of the Americas—an orchestral version sans piano. "Here to There", a saxophone solo, has become something of a staple for contemporary classical saxophonists.