The Piano (soundtrack)

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The Piano
art by Dave McKean
Soundtrack album by Michael Nyman
Released	19 October 1993
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	56:47 (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
"The Heart Asks Pleasure First/The Promise" Released: 1993

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.

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.