MICHAEL NYMAN IN HIS STUDIO

MICHAEL NYMAN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHED BY MONIKA BIELSKYTE AT HIS HOME AND STUDIO IN ISLINGTON, LONDON
MICHAEL NYMAN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHED BY MONIKA BIELSKYTE AT HIS HOME AND STUDIO IN ISLINGTON, LONDON

[...ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH WRITING FOR ANYONE’S FILMS IS THAT MY MUSIC, BECAUSE OF ITS PARTICULAR FORM AND STRUCTURING, HAS ONE KIND OF NARRATIVE. WITH GREENAWAY, EVEN THOUGH HIS NARRATIVES DON’T APPEAR TO BE THE SAME AS CONVENTIONAL HOLLYWOOD FILMS, THE FLOW OF THE DIALOGUE IS MUCH CLOSER TO HOLLYWOOD THAN IT IS TO THE INDEPENDENT FILMS THAT WE MADE TOGETHER BETWEEN 1976 AND 1982, FILMS LIKE

THE FALLS

AND 

VERTICAL FEATURES REMAKE

, WHICH WERE VERY STRUCTURELESS NARRATIVES. I’VE ALWAYS FELT THAT MY MUSIC HAS SAT RATHER UNCOMFORTABLY WITH THE NARRATIVE FLOW OF A DRAMA THAT DEALS WITH THE INTERACTION BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS. THERE’S ALWAYS A SENSE THAT HIS CONCEPTUAL NARRATIVE AND MY MUSICAL STRUCTURES DIDN’T MESH TOGETHER BUT THEY WORKED AS A COMBINATION OF MY MUSIC AND HIS IMAGES...]

/ EXCERPT FROM A CONVERSATION BETWEEN

RAINA LAMPKINS-FIELDER

AND

MICHAEL NYMAN

FOR

SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER005

. A PREVIEW OF THE FEATURE IS

ONLINE

WITH LESS THAN 50 COPIES OF THE

PRINTED EDITION

REMAINING.

/

MICHAEL NYMAN

photographed by

MONIKA BIELSKYTE

at his home in ISLINGTON [LONDON, 13 JUNE 2011]. FOR MORE, INCLUDING UNPUBLISHED IMAGES OF

NYMAN

'S MUSIC SHEETS FOR

THE PIANO

,

THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT

, AND

FACING GOYA

], VISIT

someslashthings.com/blog/tag/michael-nyman