The Piano (soundtrack)

Last updated

The Piano
Thepianosoundtrack.jpg
art by Dave McKean
Soundtrack album by
Michael Nyman
Released19 October 1993
Genre Soundtrack
Length56:47 (USA)
60:40 (UK, USA remastered edition)
Label Virgin
Producer Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman chronology
Time Will Pronounce
(1993)		The Piano
(1993)		 Michael Nyman for Yohji Yamamoto
(1993)
Singles from The Piano
  1. "The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise"
    Released: 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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.

Contents

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.

Nyman said the most famous theme "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" is based on a popular Scottish song titled "Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa", [1] which is set to the traditional tune "Lord Balgownie’s Favourite". [2] The closing edit is similar to the Scottish song used in Beethoven's Sunset.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."To the Edge of the Earth"4:06
2."Big My Secret"2:51
3."A Wild and Distant Shore"5:50
4."The Heart Asks Pleasure First [3] "1:33
5."Here to There"1:02
6."The Promise"4:14
7."A Bed of Ferns"0:46
8."The Fling"1:28
9."The Scent of Love"4:16
10."Deep into the Forest"2:58
11."The Mood That Passes Through You"1:13
12."Lost and Found"2:24
13."The Embrace"2:36
14."Little Impulse"2:11
15."The Sacrifice"2:46
16."I Clipped Your Wing"4:34
17."The Wounded"2:26
18."All Imperfect Things"4:03
19."Dreams of a Journey"5:30
20."The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise" (Edit)3:11

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.

Two additional solo piano pieces, "The Attraction of the Pedalling Ankle", which is based on Frédéric Chopin's Mazurka Op. 7/i, and "Deep Sleep Playing" are featured in the film, the former in scenes 51, 57, and 88, and the latter in scene 100. While not on the album, they are included in the published sheet music.

Several of the pieces from the soundtrack were used in Alexander McQueen's Fall/Winter 2006 fashion show.

The Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish made a cover of "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" for their album Dark Passion Play that includes lyrics written by Nightwish composer and keyboardist, Tuomas Holopainen, but the band did not receive permission to release it on time for the album's release. However, the song was still played live via playback as the outro to the final concert of the Dark Passion Play World Tour held in Helsinki, Finland on 19 September 2009. [4] On 15 December 2009, Jarmo Lautamäki, a Nightwish crew member, confirmed on his Facebook page that Nyman finally gave permission to release the cover. It was released on 2 March 2012 as a B-side on the single The Crow, the Owl and the Dove.

In December 2010 Italian rock noir band Belladonna released "Let There Be Light", a single written in collaboration with Michael Nyman and based on "The Heart Asks Pleasure First". Michael Nyman himself plays piano on the track. [5]

Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto used music from The Piano (soundtrack) in her free program for the 2018/19 season. With the program, she placed first in the 2018 Japan Figure Skating Championships.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for The Piano
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [15] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [16] Platinum15,000^
Poland (ZPAV) [17] Platinum100,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [18] Platinum100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [19] Gold25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [21] Gold500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Nyman</span> English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist

Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer, pianist, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film scores, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano. He has written a number of operas, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat; Letters, Riddles and Writs; Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs; Facing Goya; Man and Boy: Dada; Love Counts; and Sparkie: Cage and Beyond. He has written six concerti, five string quartets, and many other chamber works, many for his Michael Nyman Band. He is also a performing pianist. Nyman prefers to write opera over other forms of music.

<i>The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 1994 soundtrack album by various artists

The soundtrack to the superhero film The Crow was released in 1994.

<i>Flash Gordon</i> (soundtrack) 1980 studio album / Soundtrack album by Queen

Flash Gordon is the ninth studio album and first soundtrack album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 December 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and on 27 January 1981 by Elektra Records in the US. It is one of two film soundtracks that they produced, along with Highlander. It is the soundtrack to the science fiction film Flash Gordon and features lyrics on only two tracks. "Flash's Theme" was the only single to be released from the album, under the title "Flash". The album reached number 10 on the UK charts and number 23 in the US. The album was reissued worldwide on 27 June 2011 as part of the band's 40th anniversary. The reissue adds an EP of related tracks.

<i>8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture</i> 2002 soundtrack album by Various artists

8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the official soundtrack album to the 2002 film of the same name. The album, performed by various artists, was released by Universal Pictures' then subsidiary Universal Music, through Interscope and Shady/Aftermath. It spawned the hit single "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, who also stars in the semi-autobiographical movie.

<i>Pulp Fiction</i> (soundtrack) 1994 soundtrack album

Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction is the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, released on September 27, 1994, by MCA Records. No traditional film score was commissioned for Pulp Fiction. The film contains a mix of American rock and roll, surf music, pop and soul. The soundtrack is equally untraditional, consisting of nine songs from the film, four tracks of dialogue snippets followed by a song, and three tracks of dialogue alone. Seven songs featured in the film were not included in the original 41-minute soundtrack.

<i>Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack</i> 1994 soundtrack album by various artists

Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Academy Award-winning Tom Hanks film Forrest Gump, and contains music from many well-known American artists. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, was released separately on the same day. The album was reissued in 2001 with two additional tracks, namely "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne and "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac.

<i>Walk the Line</i> (soundtrack) 2005 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Walk the Line: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2005 biographical drama film of the same name released November 15, 2005 by Wind-Up Records. There are nine songs performed by Joaquin Phoenix, four songs by Reese Witherspoon, one song by Waylon Payne, one song by Johnathan Rice, two songs by Tyler Hilton, and one song by Shooter Jennings. At the Golden Globe Awards Joaquin Phoenix was awarded the Best Actor – Comedy or Musical and Reese Witherspoon was awarded the Best Actress – Comedy or Musical, as well as the film won the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Actress, which Witherspoon won.

<i>Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture</i> 1996 soundtrack album by various artists

Space Jam: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the original soundtrack album of the 1996 film starring Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes cast. An album featuring the film's score by James Newton Howard was also released. The soundtrack was released by Warner Sunset and Atlantic Records on November 12, 1996. "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly was first released on the soundtrack.

<i>Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack</i> 1985 soundtrack album by Various artists

Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the original motion picture soundtrack to the movie of the same name. It was released on November 27, 1985 by Scotti Bros. Records.

<i>The Lion King</i> (1994 soundtrack) 1994 soundtrack album by Elton John and Hans Zimmer

The Lion King: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. It contains songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a score composed by Hans Zimmer. Elton John has a dual role of performer for several tracks. Additional performers include Lebo M, Carmen Twillie, Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson, Joseph Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and Sally Dworsky. The album was released on May 31, 1994 on CD and audio cassette. The soundtrack was recorded in three different countries: the U.S., the U.K. and South Africa. It is the best-selling soundtrack album to an animated film in the United States with over 7 million copies sold, with 4,934,000 copies sold in 1994.

<i>The Pick of Destiny</i> 2006 studio album by Tenacious D

The Pick of Destiny is the second studio album and the soundtrack for the feature film of the same name by American comedy rock band Tenacious D. The album was released on November 14, 2006, through Epic Records, and debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Amélie</i> (soundtrack) 2001 soundtrack album by Yann Tiersen

Amélie is the soundtrack album to the 2001 film of the same name.

<i>Ray</i> (soundtrack) 2004 soundtrack album by Ray Charles

Ray is the soundtrack to the 2004 film Ray starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Terrence Howard, Clifton Powell and Regina King. The score was composed by Breyon Prescott and Craig Armstrong.

<i>Tarzan</i> (1999 soundtrack) 1999 soundtrack album by Phil Collins and Mark Mancina

Tarzan: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1999 Disney animated feature film Tarzan. The songs on the soundtrack were composed by Phil Collins and the instrumental score was composed by Mark Mancina. The song "You'll Be in My Heart" won both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, while the soundtrack album won a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album. For his contribution to the soundtrack, Collins received an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Islander (song)</span> 2008 single by Nightwish

"The Islander" is the tenth track on symphonic metal band Nightwish’s Dark Passion Play album. It was confirmed to be the album's fourth single on the website Nightwish-World on 23 February 2008, only a week after the third single, "Bye Bye Beautiful", was released. It was released on 21 May 2008, a month after the video which premiered on 14 April.

<i>The Twilight Saga: Eclipse</i> (soundtrack) 2010 album by various artists

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), commonly referred to as Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is the official soundtrack to Eclipse, released on June 8, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crow, the Owl and the Dove</span> 2012 single by Nightwish

"The Crow, the Owl and the Dove" is the second single from Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish's seventh studio album, Imaginaerum It was released on March 2, 2012. The single includes the unreleased song "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", a cover of the song with the same name from the film The Piano, originally scored by Michael Nyman, to which Nightwish added vocals. The song was originally recorded in the Dark Passion Play sessions, but Nyman did not provide permission for the song to be released in time for album's release. The song debuted at number one in the Finnish Singles Chart.

<i>The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring</i> (soundtrack) 2001 soundtrack album by Howard Shore

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 20 November 2001. It was composed, orchestrated, and conducted by Howard Shore, and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the London Voices, London Oratory School Schola choir and multiple featured instrumental and vocal soloists.

<i>Bohemian Rhapsody</i> (soundtrack) Soundtrack from the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the Queen biographical film of the same name. The soundtrack features many of the band's songs and unreleased recordings including tracks from their legendary concert at Live Aid in 1985. The soundtrack was released by Hollywood Records and Virgin EMI Records on 19 October 2018, on CD, cassette and digital formats. The soundtrack was later released on 8 February 2019, as a vinyl double album specially cut at Abbey Road Studios. A limited and much sought after double picture disc edition of the album, as well as a 7" coloured single featuring the original "Bohemian Rhapsody"/"I'm in Love with My Car" pairing, was also released on Record Store Day, 13 April 2019. The disc artwork takes its inspiration from the photography of Denis O'Regan. In November 2019, the soundtrack received an American Music Award for Top Soundtrack.

<i>Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series)</i> 2019 soundtrack album by Labrinth

Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series) is a soundtrack by British musician Labrinth, containing the score for the first season of the HBO teen drama Euphoria. It was released digitally by Sony Masterworks and Milan Records on 4 October 2019, with vinyl copies following on 10 January 2020. It is Labrinth's first full-length solo release since 2012's Electronic Earth. The album peaked at number 79 on the Billboard 200, the artist's first entry on the chart, and entered the top 50 in several countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.

References

  1. ↑ Christie, Nicola (8 April 2011). "Mark Ravenhill and Michael Nyman – Take your seats for jazzed-up Monteverdi" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa". Sangstories – Stories of Scottish Songs. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. ↑ First verse of Emily Dickinson's poem contained in Complete Poems (1924). See "Verse > Emily Dickinson > Complete Poems > I. Life > 9. "The heart asks pleasure first"". bartleby. Emily Dickinson (1830–86). Complete Poems. 1924. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Nightwish – Outro: The Heart Asks Pleasure First (@ Hartwall)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2015– via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Press Coverage". Michael Nyman. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack / Michael Nyman – The Piano". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack / Michael Nyman – The Piano" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  8. 1 2 "1994 in Review: Sale Charts" (PDF). Music & Media 1994 in Review. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2022– via World Radio History.
  9. ↑ "Charts.nz – Soundtrack / Michael Nyman – The Piano". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. 5 March 1994. p. 48. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack / Michael Nyman – The Piano". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Michael Nyman | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994". Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1994". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Michael Nyman – Piano OST". Music Canada.
  16. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Michael Nyman – Piano OST". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  17. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1998 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  18. ↑ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 944. ISBN   84-8048-639-2 . Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Piano OST')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  20. ↑ "British album certifications – Michael Nyman – The Piano - Ost". British Phonographic Industry.
  21. ↑ "American album certifications – Michael Nyman – Piano". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 17 July 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.