Nigel Hess's most recent film score is for Ladies in Lavender, the feature film directed by Charles Dance and starring Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith. Nigel has arranged the main theme from the film for Violin and Piano. The soundtrack, performed by virtuoso American violinist Joshua Bell and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is now available on Sony Classics.
More information on Nigel Hess and his other works can be found at www.myramusic.com

East Coast Pictures was commissioned by the British Youth Wind Orchestra with funds from the National Westminster Bank plc. These three short `pictures' were inspired by several visits to a small part of the American East Coast, an area that provides great extremes in the geography and the people. Grade 4/5: Premier Youth and 2nd Section Duration: 16 minutes.

Fantasy for Violin and Piano was originally written for the final scene of the feature film Ladies in Lavender where two Cornish sisters (Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) attend a London premiere of a young virtuoso violinist (Daniel Bruhl) who they have been nurturing back to health after a tragic accident at sea. Although the piece was supposedly composed by the fictional Boris Danilov, the job of creating an authentic period piece of dazzling violin music fell to the film's composer, Nigel Hess, who utilized the main theme of the film, transforming the romantic major theme into an extended, bravura minor variation full of dramatic intensity and longing. It has now become a popular piece in its own right, establishing itself (not unlike the Warsaw Concerto before it) as an audience favourite in the concert repertoire. The piece was performed on the film soundtrack by Joshua Bell with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer.

A collection of William Shakespeare plays filmed at the Globe Theatre, London. Dominic Dromgoole directs the history plays 'Henry IV: Part One' and 'Henry IV: Part Two', with Oliver Cotton as King Henry, Jamie Parker as his son and heir, Prince Hal, and Roger Allam as the jovial drunkard Sir John Falstaff. Mark Rosenblatt directs 'Henry VIII', with Dominic Rowan as Henry, Miranda Raison as Anne Boleyn and Ian McNeice as the powerful Cardinal Wolsey. Finally, Christopher Luscombe directs 'The Merry Wives of Windsor', with Christopher Benjamin as the loveable rogue Sir John Falstaff, and Serena Evans and Sarah Woodward as the scheming mistresses Page and Ford.

The TV Detectives brings together five of Nigel Hess's best-known television themes (Dangerfield, Campion, Wycliffe, Maigret and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates), all originally written for small-screen sleuths in whodunits that have been enjoyed by TV audiences over the years. Brass Band Grade Grade 4: Advanced Youth and 3rd Section Duration: 8 minutes

Filmed performance of William Shakespeare's play 'Henry VIII' at the Globe Theatre in London. Henry VIII (Dominic Rowan) is involved in a passionate tryst with Anne Boleyn (Miranda Raison). Political intrigue in the court, however, threatens to disrupt the affair. The powerful Cardinal Wolsey (Ian McNeice) convinces Queen Katherine (Kate Duchene) to interfere in the affair, in the hope of strengthening the position of the Catholic Church in England. Perhaps the pair have underestimated the love Henry has for Anne Boleyn, as the King hatches a plan to free himself from the dominion of Rome...

Shelter Island is the first movement of East Coast Pictures. It is a depiction of the Shelter Island itself, a few hours drive east of New York. In the summer it becomes a crowded tourist trap; but in the winter it is gloriously deserted and bravely faces the onslaught of the turbulent Atlantic, shrouded in sea mists and driving rain. This 'picture' is a fond memory of a winter weekend on Shelter Island. East Coast Pictures was commissioned by the British Youth Wind Orchestra with funds from the National Westminster Bank plc. These three short 'pictures' were inspired by several visits to a small part of the American East Coast, an area that provides great extremes in the geography and the people.

The TV Detectives brings together five of Nigel Hess's best-known television themes (Dangerfield, Campion, Wycliffe, Maigret and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates), all originally written for small-screen sleuths in whodunits that have been enjoyed by TV audiences over the years. Brass Band Grades Grade 4: Advanced Youth and 3rd Section Duration: 8 minutes