By Nigel Hess (1953-). For Violin. Part(s); Score; Solo; String - Violin and Piano. Faber Edition. 20th Century; Masterwork; Movie. Advanced; Intermediate. Published by Faber Music Arr : Violin and Piano Publisher : Faber Music Limited $11.99 - See more - Buy online
ISBN 0571537316. 20th Century; Masterwork; Movie.
"Fantasy" for violin and piano was originally written for the final scene of the feature film Ladies in Lavender in which 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 favorite in the concert repertoire.
The piece was performed on the film soundtrack by Joshua Bell with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer.