Much Ado About Nothing

It would appear that 1993 was a particularly productive year for Patrick Doyle, not only did he produce his splendid Needful Things, but he also continued with another Shakespearean outing for Kenneth Branagh. Alongside the stirring and gritty Henry V and before the noble if a trifle dull Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing is a gorgeous, buoyant and summery score. The Picnic starts off with one of the two main themes, Sigh No More Ladies which is recited with the music by Emma Thompson.

The Overture then plays in full both main themes, the Sigh No More Ladies theme and the Pardon Goddess of the Night Theme. The former is somewhat playful and knowing, while the latter is sumptuous and beautiful. If you want just one reason to buy the score then this track would be it. The Overture is one of Doyle's most splendid achievements. The full version of the Sigh No More Ladies appears in track 9 and is sung by Doyle himself and a choir. While this is good, Pardon Goddess of the Night is even better. Starting with an quite sombre male choir, the song moves into the fabulous main melody, coupled with a heart warming performance, this is a stunning song. Apparently, Doyle had several attempts at writing the theme for the song and it looks like the boy did good in the end!

The rest of the score intertwines the two themes as well as a few other ditties to produce very delightful listening. The Masked Ball contains sprightly dance music that perhaps veers too much on the side of being mock renaissance music (or something), but it's a fun standalone track none the less. There are some moments of darker material, such as in the Conspirators and The Prince Woos Hero. It is quite quirky so as not to make the material too menacing, but still underpins the drama superbly. Other tongue in cheek moments occur during some of the courting scenes almost falls into the category of classical comedy music, but never gets too silly. Hero's Wedding starts with a suitably fanfare-styled version of Pardon Goddess of the Night, but Doyle perfectly matches the changing moods of that scene in Take Her Back Again. The ensuing events in the following tracks are also accompanied by the right balance of joy and sadness. The final track contains a glorious reprise of Sigh No More Ladies with the entire cast singing. A fitting and superb end to yet another excellent Doyle score.