"During our earlier discussions on Much Ado About Nothing, Ken suggested adapting 'Sigh No More Ladies' for the song that Balthazar sings in the garden. When I arrived in Tuscany for the rehearsal week, we immediately sat down and bashed our heads together and eventually made it work.

Ken and I discussed preparing in advance many of the music cues required for play-back purposes on the set. We both agreed consequently that the atmosphere of being on a location in such a gorgeous setting would be a crucial element in achieving the appropriate moods. By the end of the rehearsal week, all the actors had learnt the melody and harmonies for 'Sigh No More Ladies', and the small strolling band of players had learnt their dance tunes for 'The Masked Ball'. The melody for 'Pardon Goddess Of The Night' proved to be the most elusive as each time I presented Ken with what I thought he was searching for, I was sent back to the 'Drawing Board'. After much hair pulling, I was fifth time lucky.

Although we had very limited resources and time on location, I managed to grab the actors and teach them a very rough version of the funeral hymn, which we recorded on the 'Villa Vignamaggio Tennis Court' during lunch! Also I shall never forget the assembly line of actors in the central courtyard, literally learning and recording a capella all the harmonies and countermelodies for 'Sigh No More Ladies'. They were magnificent!

Much later back in London, with the help of Gavin Greenaway and a barmoniser, we managed to save almost all of the frenetic work, which proved to be invaluable for the previews as Ken predicted. There were many difficult moments to address in the underscore. The most obvious one was the opening montage sequence which needed to he big, romantic, melodic and dramatic, but at the same time the music needed to have lots of drive. Along with all these other requirements the music had to underline the obvious masculine and feminine aspect. The end result culminated in what turned out to be a traditional 'Overture', containing virtually every theme.

The other difficult moment was where Claudio rejects Hero at the wedding ceremony ('Take her back again'). Here, there were so many changes of mood to capture and on top of that virtually non-stop dialogue. It was one of the last cues I addressed for (apart from terror) every element from either side of this scene had to be drawn upon to give me ideas. In my view it became the most operatic use of underscore.

I am immensely proud and privileged to have been part of Much Ado About Nothing and I don't know why I am surprised, but yet again I am amazed at the talent, strength and inventiveness of its creator. He has done a magnificent job. My many thanks to Ken yet again!"