Time Will Pronounce

by Tim DiGravina Michael Nyman is an extremely accomplished composer, crafting compelling music whether he's been commissioned to score a film or to provide material for symphonies or various bands. Time Will Pronounce collects his chamber commissions from 1992: "Self-Laudatory Hymn of Inanna and Her Omnipotence" for James Bowman and Fretwork, "Time Will Pronounce" for Trio of London, "The Convertibility of Lute Strings" for Virginia Black, and "For John Cage" for London Brass. The first selection is rather long and monotonous, dominated by the somewhat hard to handle voice of James Bowman. The track isn't as musically compelling as later pieces, as the loose structure and general chaos of Fretwork's somewhat grating viol work make for a composition that never really registers or takes a stance; there are worthwhile movements within the song, but it's ultimately rather bland. It might work better as a counterpoint to a scene in a Peter Greenaway film; Greenaway and Nyman are longtime collaborators. "Time Will Pronounce" is far more successful; it's easy to see why its name was taken for the album's title. Trio of London (comprised of Elisabeth Perry on violin, Melissa Phelps on cello, and Julian Jacobson on piano) take exactly the right stance for the elegiac, minimal piece. Moments of violin-based dissonance juxtapose with mournful piano segments to jarring, emotional effect. The three players artfully keep pace with one another throughout the composition's 20 minutes, becoming energetic and passionate or doleful and sweet as one. Once again, the music would probably be slightly more successful on a film score or in a live setting than it is on an album. "The Convertibility of Lute Strings" is a solo harpsichord workout, seeing Virgina Black playing racing chords up and down the musical scale. It sounds more like music heard at a haunted mansion than anything else; the harpsichord seems to falter and twist around itself with decadent aplomb, as Black is forced down both joyous and painful routes of repetition. "For John Cage" might be considered the showstopper; the ten-piece London Brass have their instruments travel a broad map of raining, swirled confusion and triumphant moments that wouldn't sound out of place in a march. The song is 14 minutes of brass bliss, without a traditional structure, but quite easy to chart and enjoy. It stands on its own with more ease than the three preceding compositions. Time Will Pronounce does not see Michael Nyman at his most accessible, but it does see him quite inspired and optimistic about life and his own art. These 1992 commissions are probably not the best starting point for a Nyman newcomer, but they do amount to 64 minutes of excitement and interest for converts.