The Composer's Cut Series Vol. I: The Draughtsman's Contract is the 51st album by Michael Nyman, recorded in 2005 with the Michael Nyman Band and released in 2006. It is the first in an unprecedented series in which Nyman began rerecording some of his film music independently of the needs of film production, and the culmination and refinement of 23 years of performances of the work since the recording of the original 1982 recording of The Draughtsman's Contract.
Nyman lamented that he had failed to have a sticker placed on the album noting that it contained all-new recordings, resulting in slow sales.
Track listing
The tracks are in a different order than they are on the soundtrack album.
Chasing sheep is best left to shepherds
The garden is becoming a robe room
An eye for optical theory
A watery death
The disposition of the linen
Queen of the night
Bravura in the face of grief
Personnel
The Michael Nyman Band: Michael Nyman, piano, harpsichord, and conductor Gabrielle Lester, violin Catherine Thompson, violin Kate Musker, viola Tony Hinnigan, cello David Roach, saxophones Simon Haram, saxophones Andrew Findon, saxophones Martin Elliot, saxophones Dave Lee, horn Steve Sidwell, trumpet Nigel Barr, bass trombone Ian Humphries, Beverley Davison, Mia Cooper (violinist), Lizzie Bull, additional violins (track 2)
Note that of these players, only Nyman and Findon played on the original soundtrack recording.