The Claim

As demonstrated by his recent film music compilation, Michael Nyman has undergone something of a transformation as a composer - at least in his film work. He started off with a very experimental style that has a more limited appeal, but in recent years has become much more lyrical and accessible. I would put much of it down to the type of film he's scored, but composers often mellow with age and in his case, the innovator has turned into the romantic. All his scores are recognisable as his work, but with just ever more emotional expression with The Claim being perhaps his most lyrical score to date.

I didn't see Michael Winterbottom's film and I don't think many other people saw it either, but judging from the beautifully assembled inlay card, the film was at least gorgeous to look at and was no doubt one of the inspirations to such an expressive and expansive score. It is not easy to expansive with minimalist writing since expansive invariably means drawn out notes and in a minimal style, this would likely lead the music to grind to a halt. However, Nyman seems to have made his patented cycling patterns much broader in feel than ever before. Nyman carefully shades the orchestration, pace and harmony of each cue depending on the situation, but it in a way that makes it almost variations on an idea that simply change mood as required. That possibly sounds like a truism, but a precise articulation of the technique is difficult. As with all music, it needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

While every cue has its own recommendation, there are plenty of highlights and most of the best cues feature solo soprano in the best Morricone tradition. In the notes to the aforementioned compilation, Nyman acknowledges his debt to Morricone which is thoughtful given that the similarity is only in the use of wordless soprano, one could never mistake the work of one for the other. The finest cue is almost certainly The Burning which combines most of the elements used elsewhere into the score and fashions them into a lengthy, but sustained set piece. Nyman even manages a little Civil War patriotism with a piccolo playing a counterpoint melody when the dramatic plateau is reached - one of those spine tingling moments that composers strive for, but rarely achieve with such success.

If you think Michael Nyman is clinical and a bit austere, then The Claim, along with recent efforts such as Gattaca and Wonderland should change your mind. Nyman has a very loyal fan base, but film score fans seem to overlook his work, which is very unfortunate as he is a superb composer and The Claim probably represents just about my favourite Nyman score to date. Highly recommended in every respect.