Nigel Hess - television composer

Nigel Hess studied music at Cambridge University where he was musical director of the "Footlights Revue Company". Since leaving Cambridge he has sustained an active composing career for the stage, for television and with a more recent introduction to film. From 1981-85 he was Music Director and composer for the Royal Shakespeare Company on productions such as "Much Ado About Nothing", "Cyrano de Bergerac", "Julis Caesar" and "Othello". His numerous credits for television have largely been for dramatic series and mini-series, including "A Woman of Substance", "Vanity Fair", "Campion", "Maigret", "Just William" "Testament", and "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates". Hess scored the soundtrack for the film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play "An Ideal Husband" and the movie "Ladies in Lavendar". In the latter film, the "ladies" find someone who has a talent for the violin so the instrument features prominently on the soundtrack where the solo parts are played by Joshua Bell who himself is no stranger to film soundtracks. Among classical works used in the film are the famous "Méditation" by Thaïs.

Nigel Hess has won numerous awards for his music and has also composed a number of works for wind or military bands. His own website is at Myra Music.

Films by Nigel Hess:

• An Ideal Husband - film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play
• Ladies in Lavender - starring Judy Dench and Maggie Smith with Josua Bell providing the Solo Violin

TV work by Nigel Hess:

• Whoops Apocalypse
• A Woman of Substance - starring Jenny Seagrove in the title role
• Cyrano de Bergerac - broadcast version of the earlier Royal Shakespeare Company production
• Vanity Fair - mini-series
• Campion - with Peter Davison
• Stalin - title music for the documentary mini-series
• Perfect Scoundrels - a jazzy theme with a swing
• Classic Adventure - an heroic theme reminiscent of "Chariots of Fire"
• Chimera
• Growing Pains - the theme song is an old-fashioned ballad called "I Could Care for You" for which Hess also wrote the lyrics
• Maigret - a waltz theme
• Wycliffe
• Just William
• Dangerfield
• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - starring Patricia Routledge
• Badger
• Ballykissangel - the final series

Recommendations:

Although he has some tracks available on collections of televsion themes or collections of band music, it can be difficult to find recordings dedicated to Nigel Hess' music, though the "Ladies in Lavendar" soundtrack is available at the following links: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. There is also sheet music available for the theme to "Ladies in Lavendar" at this link into the Music Room. Although we haven't been able to find it online, the piano sheet music collection called "More TV Hits of the 90s" has four themes by Hess: "Classic Adventure", "Growing Pains", "Maigret" and "Perfect Scoundrels".