The Michael Nyman Band, formerly known as the Campiello Band, is a group formed as a street band for a 1976 production of Carlo Goldoni's 1756 play, Il Campiello directed by Bill Bryden at the Old Vic. The band did not wish to break up after the production ended, so its director, Michael Nyman, began composing music for the group to perform, beginning with "In Re Don Giovanni", written in 1977. Originally made up of old instruments such as rebecs, sackbuts and shawms alongside more modern instruments like the banjo and saxophone to produce as loud a sound as possible without amplification, it later switched to a fully amplified line-up of string quartet, double bass, clarinet, three saxophones, horn, trumpet, bass trombone, bass guitar, and piano. This lineup has been variously altered and augmented for some works.
History The band's first recorded album on a professional label was Nyman's second, the self-titled Michael Nyman (1981), which mostly comprised pieces written for the early films of Peter Greenaway. This album was not released on compact disc until 2012. Another self-titled album (1995) has appeared as a promotional item compiling tracks from various other albums, and should not be confused with this one.
Along with soundtracks to Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract, Drowning by Numbers, and The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover, their 1980s output included The Kiss and Other Movements (which includes the titular art song; a song from Nyman's projected Tristram Shandy opera; a tango; a movement from the same work as "Memorial" as used in Greenaway's 26 Bathrooms; and a performance of music (not the original soundtrack) from Greenaway's Making a Splash) and the modern dance work And Do They Do. They also made a limited edition recording of Nyman's La Traversée de Paris in 1989; many of its individual movements were soon to be dismantled, revised, or simply transplanted whole, to serve as the soundtrack for Greenaway's Prospero's Books (1991). Conversely, Nyman composed music for another adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the ballet-opera Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, soon after Prospero's Books, some of which was derived from La Traversée de Paris.
Their 1992 album, The Essential Michael Nyman Band, may appear to be a greatest hits compilation, but is actually composed of the concert versions of various film pieces, having undergone years of revisions and refinement, are significantly different from their soundtrack counterparts, to a far more severe extent than typical differences between classical music performances. This album also contains two cuts from the film score to A Zed & Two Noughts, which was originally performed by an orchestra of musicians who were never members of the band, with solos by band members Nyman, Balanescu, Perry, and Leonard. Similarly, The Piano was performed by members of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra with Harle, Roach, Findon, and Nyman, but is also part of the band's repertoire.
In 1993, the band joined with an orchestra for the first time in their recording history with MGV: Musique à Grand Vitesse, a piece commissioned for the opening of a TGV line, first performed on 26 September 1993, in which the band, according to Nyman's own liner notes, represents the tracks, "resisting the temptation of the concerto grosso". The album credit is to "The Michael Nyman Band and Orchestra".
Associated acts The group has largely been superseded by the Michael Nyman Orchestra. Such soundtrack albums as Practical Magic, Ravenous, The End of the Affair, The Claim, and The Libertine are credited to this group, first implied on that 1994 album. While the former two titles lack detailed credits, the latter three albums show that most of the band (not to say most of those credited as full members over its history) performs in the Orchestra. The band's existence is far from over, however, as Nyman orchestrated his 2002 opera, Facing Goya, specifically for the band. His previous two opera recordings include band members but are not formally credited to the band, and one, the aforementioned Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs, uses a full-scale orchestra, without Nyman at the baton. Man and Boy: Dada (2004) and Love Counts (2005; recorded 2007), Nyman's newest operas, feature the band conducted by Paul McGrath.
In 1996, another offshoot group, The Nyman Quartet, consisting of Cathy Thompson, Gabrielle Lester, Kate Musker, and Tony Hinnigan, recorded The Ballad of Kastriot Rexhepi (with Sarah Leonard--the only singer ever credited as a band member) and Exit No Exit, and plan to record the third recording of Nyman's four string quartets.
They are produced by David Cunningham.
Many of the current and former band members, including John Harle, Alexander Balanescu, Dave Lee, Madeleine Mitchell, Andrew Findon, and Simon Haram, have released solo albums that include performances of Nyman's music.
Lineup The membership in the band is rather fluid, though it has had many core members. Often, whoever plays with the band on a given album is credited as a full member, though just as often, non-members are credited as guest artists. The following people have received credit as full-fledged members on at least one album, followed by a list of every instrument that they have been credited with playing at any time. The recordings prior to Michael Nyman (1981) did not credit individual band members.
(Listed chronologically)
Michael Nyman (1976–), composer, conductor, piano, harpsichord, kurzweil Rory Allam (1981), clarinet Alexander Bălănescu (1981–1993, 1999–2002), violin Anne Barnard (1981), french horn Ben Grove (1981), bass guitar John Harle (1981–1999), soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone Nick Hayley (1981), rebec, violin Ian Mitchell (1981–1982), clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone Elisabeth Perry (1981–1991, 1998), violin, viola Steve Saunders (1981–1991), bass trombone, euphonium Roderick Skeaping (1981), rebec, violin Keith Thompson (1981–1982), flute, piccolo, recorder, tenor saxophone Doug Wootton (1981), banjo Malcolm Bennett (1982), bass guitar Andrew Findon (1980–), tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, piccolo, flute, bass flute, alto flute Barry Guy (1982), double bass David Fuest (1985, 1986, 1989, 2007), clarinet, bass clarinet John Greaves (1985), bass guitar David Roach (1985–), soprano, alto and tenor saxophones Sarah Leonard (1985–1991), soprano Rupert Bawden (1986), viola Ruth Phillips (1986, 1991), cello Jonathan "John" Carney (1987–1991), violin, viola Catherine "Kate" Musker (1987–), viola Anthony "Tony" Hinnigan (1987–), cello Miranda Fulleylove, also spelled "Fullylove" (1988, 1999), violin Rosemary Furniss (1988), violin Briony Shaw (1988), violin Jackie Shave (1988, 1989, 1999), violin Joe Rappaport (1988), viola Andrew Shulman (1988), cello Robin McGee (1988–1989), double bass John Wilbraham (1988), trumpet, flugelhorn Michael Thompson (1988), french horn Christopher "Chris" Laurence also spelled "Lawrence" (1989, 1994, 1999, 2006–), double bass Graham Ashton (1989–1992), trumpet, flugelhorn David Stewart (also spelled "Stuart") (1989), trombone Clare Connors (1989–1994), violin Justin Pearson (1989–1992, 2005), cello Paul Morgan (1989, 1991, 1999, 2004), double bass David Rix (1989, 1991–1999, 2004), clarinet, bass clarinet Jamie Talbot (1989, 1991, 1995, 2005), soprano and alto saxophones Simon Haram (1989, 1996–), soprano and alto saxophones Richard Clews (1989, 1991, 1995–1996), french horn, Wagner tuba Huw Jenkins (1989), horn Fenella Barton (1989), violin Gabrielle "Gaby" Lester (1989, 2002–), violin Iris Juda (1989), violin Jonathan Rees (1989, 1999), violin Lyn Fletcher, violin Mayumi Seiler, violin Michael "Mike" McMenemy (1989, 1991, 1992, 1994), violin Richard Ehrlich, violin Roger Tapping, viola Jane Salmen, cello Tim Hugh, cello Lynda Herighten, double bass Martin Elliott (1989, 1991–1995, (live only 1996–1998) 1999–), bass guitar Richard Watkins (1989), horn Tim Amhurst also spelled "Amherst" (1991, 1994), double bass Lynda Houghton (1991), double bass Marjorie Dunn (1991–1994), horn Nigel Barr (1991–), bass trombone, euphonium, tuba Madeleine Mitchell (1992), violin Beverley "Bev" Davison (1992, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2005), violin official site Ann Morfee (also spelled Morphy) (1992–1994, 1999, 2002), violin Steven "Steve" Sidwell (1992–), trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet Jonathan Lenahan (1992), piano Marshall Marcus (1994), violin Katherine "Kathy" Shave (1994, 1999–2002), violin William Schofield (1994, 2007), cello William "Bill" Hawkes (1994, 1996, 1999), violin Claire Thompson (1995), violin Nicholas Ward (1995), violin Boguslav Kosteci/Boguslow Kosteki (1995), violin Harriet Davies (1995), violin Bruce White (1995, 1999–), viola Philip D'Arcy (1995, 1999), viola Jim Sleigh (1995), viola Tony Lewis (1995), cello David Lee (1996–), french horn, Wagner tuba Nigel Gomm (1996, 1998, 2002, 2007–), trumpet, flugelhorn Nigel Black, (1996) french horn, Wagner tuba Paul Gargham, (1996) french horn, Wagner tuba Chris Davies (1996), french horn, Wagner tuba Gary Kettel (1996), drums Rachel Browne (1998), violin Prunella Pacey (1998), violin Melissa Phelps (1998), cello Andrew Fawbert (1998, 2002), bass trombone, tuba, euphonium Sophie Landon (1999), violin Fran Andrade (1999), violin Jonathan Evans-Jones (1999, 2007), violin Andrew Parker (1999), viola Sophie Harris (1999), cello Ian Humphries, violin (2002, 2005, 2007–) Elizabeth Burley (2002) Cathy Thompson (2002) violin Gillian Findlay (2002), violin Roger Linley (2002), double bass Stephen Williams (2002), double bass James Woodrow (2002), electric guitar Edward Coxon, violin (2003) Richard Cookson, viola (2003) Nicholas "Nick" Cooper, cello (2003, 2005) Mary Scully, double bass (2003, 2006) Rebecca Hirsch, violin (2004–2005) Melinda Maxwell, oboe (2004) Gareth Hulse, oboe (2004) Andrew Sparling, clarinet, bass clarinet (2004, 2005, 2007) Christopher Gunia, bassoon (2004) Richard Benjafield, percussion (2004) Dominic Saunders, piano (2004, 2006) Ian Humphries, violin (2005) Mia Cooper, violin (2005) Lizzie Bull, violin (2005) Morvent Bruce, violin (2005) James Boyd, viola (2005) John Metcalfe, viola (2005) Robert Max, cello (2005) Fiona McNaught, violin (2005, 2007) Robert Buckland, soprano and alto sax (2005) David Arch, piano (2005) Phillipa Ibbotson, violin (2006) Nicolette Kuo, violin (2006) Emlyn Singleton, violin (2006) Debbie Widdup, violin (2006) Harriet Davies, violin (2006) Fenella Barton, violin (2006) Nick Barr, viola (2006) Jonathan Barritt, viola (2006) Allen Walley, bass (2006) Walter Fabeck, keyboards (2006) Simon Chamberlain, piano (2006)
Discography
Not Necessarily English Music, a collection of experimental music from Great Britain, 1960–1977, curated by David Toop Miserere by Giuseppe Verdi, arranged by M. Nyman The Campiello Band: Michael Nyman, Rory Allam, Lucie Skeaping, Roddie Skeaping, Steve Saunders, Keith Thompson, Doug Wooton Recorded in Clifton College, Nottingham, England, 3 March 1977. Recorded by Robert Worby. "The Masterwork" Award Winning Fish-Knife (1979) no musician credits From Brussels with Love (1980) – "A Walk Through H, Part 1" Miniatures (1980) – "89–90–91–92" Michael Nyman (1981) Allam, Balanescu, Barnard, Grove, Harle, Hayley, I. Mitchell, Nyman, Perry, S. Saunders, Skeaping, K. Thompson, Wootton, with Peter Brötzmann (bass clarinet, tenor saxophone), Evan Parker, (soprano saxophone), Lucy Skeaping (soprano) The Draughtsman's Contract (1982) Nyman, Balanescu, Bennett, Findon, Guy, Harle, I. Mitchell, Perry, S. Saunders, K. Thompson The Kiss and Other Movements (1985)