Adapted from P.D.James imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberley (Origin Pictures) is a costume drama with a murder mystery twist in the tail.This was a great opportunity to work with director Daniel Percival again and with a great cast and production values.
Some of the main themes were written prior to actual filming as a response to Juliette Towhidi’s wonderful screenplay and our aim from the outset was to knit together the two genres, making reference to the period and at the same time creating a contemporary ‘whodunnit’ score.
We opted for a piano-led score, with accompanying harp, flute, horns, chamber strings and – in places – female vocals. We also made use of the Ondes Martenot (an early electronic instrument) which supplements the more conventional instrumentation.
The result is some of our most melodic and tuneful – and certainly our most lyrical – film music.