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

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.

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