Nyman, Michael 1944-
English pianist, composer and writer

Born in London, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music and King's College London, and became a music critic (1968-78). He formed his own ensemble in 1977 to play his music, written in a minimalist vein, often with allusions to Baroque music woven in. He became a very successful composer of film soundtracks, including a large number for the filmmaker Peter Greenaway. His evocative score for Jane Campion's The Piano (1993) became a bestseller, and was turned into the more expansive large-scale work The Piano Concerto. He has arranged much of his film music in concert versions, and has also written many works for his ensemble, and for other chamber groups and symphony orchestras. His music for theatre includes the opera The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat (1986).