When Michael Nyman "accidentally" coined the term 'minimalist music' in 1968, he never dared to dream that decades later he and composer Philip Glass would be considered the pioneers of an influential music style. As understated as it is overwhelming, their music has shown that repetition is not a limitation but rather a source of trance and intense emotion.
Jane Campion's The Piano has become a synonym to Nyman's music. And Nyman himself will be forever connected with the work of filmmaker Peter Greenaway (Drowning by Numbers, The Draughtsman's Contract). Where Nyman planted a seed, Philip Glass made it blossom. With minimalist film scores for Koyaanisqatsi, The Hours and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, he popularised the movement. And so minimalism had a maximum impact. The two legends will be celebrated with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
But the story doesn't end with the pioneers. Minimalism lives and moves, and its evolution can be heard in the music of contemporary heirs Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch (Living, All of Us Strangers) and Martin Phipps (The Crown), who are both responsible for energising British cinema today. They push minimalism in modern, surprising directions. During the concert, their work and that of Glass and Nyman will be performed by the Brussels Philharmonic. The orchestra will take you on a journey through a (film) music style that repeats and repeats, without ever standing still.
"Michael Nyman opened my eyes to what film music could be. When I saw and heard The Draughtsman's Contract as a 14-year-old I was stunned. It was rock and roll classical music, with an energy and repetitive simplicity that I didn't know was possible." - Martin Phipps