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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
Classical · 2016 · 17 tracks · 58m

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Michael Nyman

A chamber opera exploring the fragility of the human mind through driving, staccato piano patterns and haunting operatic vocals. Intellectual, rhythmic, and deeply moving.

September 2016 · CBS Masterworks

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An intellectual and empathetic exploration of cognitive loss through rhythmic precision.

Tracklist · 17 Tracks · 58m
01
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 1: Prologue: Neurology's Favorite Term Is Deficit
2:35
02
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 2: The First Examination: Traffic
7:40
03
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 2: The Shoe: Can I Help
3:20
04
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 2: The Slides: You Can See Very Clearly
2:06
05
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 2: The River: What Do You See Now
4:45
06
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 2: The Dressing Ritual: …Wife for a Hat
2:20
07
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The House Call: Bösendorfer!
1:32
08
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: Ich grolle nicht
2:37
09
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The Solids: But What of the Parietal Regions
6:12
10
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The Photographs: What Is This
3:11
11
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The Rose: …Lost
1:57
12
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The Glove: Now, What Is This
2:12
13
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 3: The Chess Game: Pawn to King 4
2:37
14
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 4: Testing Visual Memory: The Street: From Our End
2:26
15
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 5: Paintings as Pathlogy an Argument: The Paintings: Your Husband's a Painter
5:41
16
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 6: The Prescription: The Wife: Tell Me, How Does He Manage
1:57
17
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: Scene 7: Epilogue: The Prognosis: I Cannot Tell You What Is Wrong
5:00
Moments Worth Listening For
The jarring transition where the rhythmic piano suddenly breaks for the hauntingly familiar strains of Schumann's Ich grolle nicht.
The frantic, escalating strings in Scene 2 that mirror the patient's confusion while trying to identify simple objects.
The final epilogue where the vocals drop away into a somber, repetitive piano motif that feels like a fading memory.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat sound next to the rest of Michael Nyman's catalogue?

Mental Health+4.0σ

The writing leans far further into mental health than the rest of the catalogue.

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