Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer and pianist. He was noted for his musical versatility, drawing from such sources as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, and

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

; and for his use of

twelve-tone technique The twelve-tone technique—also known as dodecaphony, twelve-tone serialism, and (in British usage) twelve-note composition—is a method of musical composition. The technique is a means of ensuring that all 12 notes of the chromatic scale ...

and

serialism In music, serialism is a method of composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though some of his contemporaries were also ...

. His body of work included over 200 concert works and 50 scores for film and television. He was also active in jazz, as a composer, a pianist, and an occasional vocalist. For his scoring work, Bennett was nominated for a total of 10

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

, winning once for Best Original Music for the film ''Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974). He was also nominated for three

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

( ''Far from the Madding Crowd'', 1967; ''

Nicholas and Alexandra ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' is a 1971 British epic historical drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, from a screenplay by James Goldman and Edward Bond based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 book of the same name. It tells the story of the l ...

'', 1971; and ''Murder on the Orient Express'') and three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

, among other accolades. He was the International Chair of Composition of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed in 1998.

Life and career

Bennett was born at

Broadstairs Broadstairs () is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St Peter's, and had a population in 2011 ...

, Kent, but was raised in Devon during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Zachary Woolfe Zachary Woolfe is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 2022 he has been chief classical music critic for ''The New York Times''. Education and career As a teenager in the 1990s, Woolfe discovered the online oper ...

"Richard Rodney Bennett, British Composer, Dies at 76"
''New York Times'', 30 December 2012 His mother, Joan Esther, née Spink (1901–1983) was a pianist who had trained with

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

and sang in the first professional performance of ''

The Planets ''The Planets'', Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus. Each movement of the suite is name ...

''. His father,

Rodney Bennett Rodney Bennett (24 March 1935 – 3 January 2017) was a British television director. He worked for BBC Radio and directed television programmes for the BBC and ITV (TV network), ITV. Early life and education Bennett was born in Chagford, Devon ...

(1890–1948), was a children's book author, poet and lyricist, who worked with

Roger Quilter Roger Cuthbert Quilter (1 November 1877 – 21 September 1953) was a British composer, known particularly for his art songs. His songs, which number over a hundred, often set music to text by William Shakespeare and are a mainstay of the English ...

on his theatre works and provided new words for some of the numbers in the ''

Arnold Book of Old Songs The ''Arnold Book of Old Songs'' is a collection of English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and French folk songs and traditional songs, with new piano accompaniments by Roger Quilter. Quilter dedicated it to and named it after his nephew Arnold Guy Vi ...

''. Bennett was a pupil at

Leighton Park School Leighton Park School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private school for both day and boarding pupils in Reading, Berkshire, Reading in South East England. The school's ethos is closely tied to the Quaker values, having ...

. He later studied at the

with

Howard Ferguson George Howard Ferguson (June 18, 1870 – February 21, 1946) was the ninth premier of Ontario, from 1923 to 1930. He was a Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1905 to ...

and

Lennox Berkeley Sir Lennox Randal Francis Berkeley CBE (12 May 190326 December 1989) was an English composer. Biography Berkeley was born on 12 May 1903 in Oxford, England, the younger child and only son of Aline Carla (1863–1935), daughter of Sir James ...

. Ferguson regarded him as extraordinarily brilliant, having perhaps the greatest talent of any British composer in his generation, though lacking in a personal style. During this time, Bennett attended some of the

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

summer courses in 1955, where he was exposed to

. He later spent two years in Paris as a student of the prominent serialist

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

between 1957 and 1959. He always used both his first names after finding another Richard Bennett active in music. Bennett taught at the

between 1963 and 1965, at the

Peabody Institute The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music and dance music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1857, it became affiliat ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, United States from 1970 to 1971, and was later International Chair of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music between 1994 and the year 2000. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1977, and was

ed in 1998. Bennett produced over 200 works for the concert hall, and 50 scores for film and television. He was also a writer and performer of

songs for 50 years. Immersed in the techniques of the European

via his contact with Boulez, Bennett subsequently developed his own dramato-abstract style. In his later years, he adopted an increasingly tonal idiom. Bennett regularly performed as a jazz pianist, with such singers as

Cleo Laine Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Hitching; 28 October 1927) is an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She is the widow of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec D ...

, Marion Montgomery (until her death in 2002),

Mary Cleere Haran Mary Cleere Haran (May 13, 1952 - February 5, 2011) was an American singer known for her work as a cabaret artist. Her skills in performing popular music and jazz enabled her to entertain audiences with either genre or a combination of the two. ...

(until her death in 2011), and more recently with Claire Martin, performing the

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is th ...

. Bennett and Martin performed at such venues as The Oak Room at the

Algonquin Hotel The Algonquin Hotel (officially The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection) is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwi ...

in New York, and

The Pheasantry The Pheasantry, 152 King's Road, Chelsea, London, is a Grade II listed building that was home to a number of important figures in 1960s London and a small music venue in the 1970s where a number of bands were able to play their first gigs. Earl ...

and

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sc ...

in London. In later years, in addition to his musical activities, Bennett became known as an artist working in the medium of collage. He exhibited these collages several times in England, including at the Holt Festival, Norfolk in 2011, and at the Swaledale Festival, Yorkshire, in 2012. The first exhibition of his collages was in London in 2010, at the South Kensington and Chelsea Mental Health Centre, curated by the Nightingale Project, a charity that takes music and art into hospitals. Bennett was a patron of this charity. Bennett is honoured with four photographic portraits in the collection of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, London. Bennett was gay and in 1995 ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

'' nominated him as one of the most influential gay people in music. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012. Anthony Meredith's biography of Bennett was published in November 2010. Bennett is survived by his sister Meg (born 1930), the poet

M. R. Peacocke Margaret Ruth Peacocke (born 1930), also known as Meg Peacocke, is an English poet. Life Peacocke was born Margaret Ruth Bennett in Reading, Berkshire to Joan Esther, ''née'' Spink (1901–1983) and (Harry) Rodney Bennett (1890–1948), a c ...

, with whom he collaborated on a number of vocal works. Bennett's cremated remains are buried in Section 112, Plot 45456 at

Green-wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. His grave is marked by a grey granite headstone.

Music

Despite his early studies in

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

techniques, Bennett's tastes were eclectic. He wrote in a wide range of styles, including

, for which he had a particular fondness. Early on, he began to write music for feature films. He said that it was as if the different styles of music that he was writing went on 'in different rooms, albeit in the same house'. Later in his career the different aspects all became equally celebrated – for example in his 75th birthday year (2011), there were numerous concerts featuring all the different strands of his work. At the BBC Proms for example his ''Murder on the Orient Express Suite'' was performed in a concert of film music, and in the same season his ''Dream Dancing'' and '' Jazz Calendar'' were also featured. Also at the

Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...

, London, on 23 March 2011 (a few days before his 75th birthday), a double concert took place in which his

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

-inspired piece ''Sonata After Syrinx'' was performed in the first concert, and in the Late Night Jazz Event which followed, Bennett and Claire Martin performed his arrangements of the Great American Songbook (Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart and so on). See also Tom Service's appreciation of Bennett's music published in ''The Guardian'' in July 2012.

Film and television scores

He wrote music for films and television; among his scores were the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' story '' The Aztecs'' (1964) for television, and the feature films ''

Billion Dollar Brain ''Billion Dollar Brain'' is a 1967 British spy film, espionage film directed by Ken Russell and based on the 1966 novel ''Billion-Dollar Brain'' by Len Deighton. The film features Michael Caine as secret agent Harry Palmer, the anti-hero prota ...

'' (1967), ''

Lady Caroline Lamb Lady Caroline Lamb (née Ponsonby; 13 November 1785 – 25 January 1828) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and novelist, best known for '' Glenarvon'', a Gothic novel. In 1812, she had an affair with Lord Byron, whom she described as "mad, bad, a ...

'' (1972) and '' Equus'' (1977). His scores for '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1967), ''

'' (1971), and ''

Murder on the Orient Express ''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...

'' (1974), each earned him

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations, with ''Murder on the Orient Express'' gaining a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

award. Later works include '' Enchanted April'' (1992), ''

Four Weddings and a Funeral ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to star Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle of ...

'' (1994), ''

The Tale of Sweeney Todd ''The Tale of Sweeney Todd'' is a 1997 American crime-drama/ horror television film directed by John Schlesinger and starring Ben Kingsley and Joanna Lumley. The teleplay by Peter Buckman was adapted from a story by Peter Shaw. Prior to broadcas ...

'' (1999) and ''

Gormenghast Gormenghast may refer to: * ''Gormenghast'' (series), a trilogy of novels by Mervyn Peake ** ''Gormenghast'' (novel), second in the series * ''Gormenghast'' (opera), an opera based on the books * ''Gormenghast'' (TV serial), a BBC adaptatio ...

'' (2000). He was also a prolific composer of orchestral works, piano solos, choral works and operas. Despite this eclecticism, Bennett's music rarely involved stylistic crossover.

Selected works

Orchestral works

* ''Aubade'' (1964) *''Farnham Festival Overture'' (1964) *''Symphony No. 1'' (1965) * Piano Concerto (1968) *''Symphony No. 2'' in one movement (1968) - commissioned by the

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

*''Party Piece'' (1971) * Concerto for Orchestra (1973) *Viola Concerto (1973) - commissioned by the

Northern Sinfonia Royal Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, founded in Newcastle upon Tyne and currently based in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history the orchestra gave most of its concerts at the Newcastle City Hall. It also gave mont ...

for Roger Best * Violin Concerto (1975) *''Zodiac'' (1975-76) *''Serenade'' for small orchestra (1976) *''Music for Strings'' (1977) *''Sonnets to Orpheus'' for cello and orchestra (1978-79) *Harpsichord Concerto (1980) - premiere conducted by

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Richard Rodney Bennett, harpsichord *''Anniversaries'' (1982) * Sinfonietta (1984) *''A Little Suite'' for chamber orchestra (1986) - based on selections from the song cycles ''The Insect World'' and ''The Aviary'' *Symphony No. 3 (1987) *Saxophone Concerto (1988) for alto saxophone *Marimba Concerto (1988) *''Diversions'' for chamber orchestra (1989) *''Concerto for Stan Getz'' (1990) - for tenor saxophone, timpani and strings *Percussion Concerto (1990) - commissioned by and first performed at

St Magnus Festival The St Magnus International Festival is an annual, week-long arts festival which takes place at midsummer on the islands of Orkney, off the north coast of mainland Scotland. History and management The festival was founded in 1977 by a group inc ...

, Orkney, soloist Dame

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The i ...

, 1990 *''Trumpet Concerto'' (1993) - for trumpet and wind orchestra *''Partita'' for orchestra (1995) *''Reflections on a Sixteenth Century Tune'' (1999) - for string orchestra or double wind quintet *''Troubadour Music'' (2006)

Instrumental and chamber

*''Sonata'' (1954) - for piano, first published work *''Impromptus'' (1968) - for guitar *''Scena II'' (1973) - for solo cello; commissioned by the Music Department of the

University College of North Wales, Bangor Bangor University () is a public research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 became one of the founding institutions of the federal ...

, with funds from Welsh Arts Council, first performed by Judith Mitchell 25 April 1974 *''Sonatina'' (1981) - for solo clarinet *''After Syrinx I'' (1982) - for oboe and piano *''Summer Music'' (1982) - for flute and piano *''Sonata'' (1983) - for solo guitar *''After Syrinx II'' (1984) - for solo marimba *''Morning Music'' (1986) - for wind band *''Over the Hills and Far Away'' (1991) - for piano 4 hands *''The Four Seasons'' (1991) - for symphonic wind ensemble *''Dream Sequence'' (1992) - for cello and piano, first performed in December 1994 at the

, London by

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julia ...

and John Lenehan (1992) *''Ballad in Memory of Shirley Horn'' (2006) - For clarinet and piano, written the year after her death to commemorate her *''Lilliburlero'' ''Variations'' (2008) - for two pianos, commissioned by the Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation in Miami *''Fanfare'' (2012) - for brass quintet

Operas

*''The Ledge'' (1961) - libretto by

Adrian Mitchell Adrian Mitchell FRSL (24 October 1932 – 20 December 2008) was an English poet, novelist, and playwright. A former journalist, he became a noted figure on the British left. For almost half a century he was the foremost poet of the country's C ...

*''The Midnight Thief'' (1964) - libretto by

Ian Serraillier Ian Serraillier (24 September 1912 – 28 November 1994) was an English novelist and poet. He retold legends from England, Greece and Rome and was best known for his children's books, especially '' The Silver Sword'' (1956), a wartime adventure s ...

*''

The Mines of Sulphur ''The Mines of Sulphur'' is an opera in three acts by Richard Rodney Bennett, his first full-length opera, composed in 1963. Beverley Cross wrote the libretto, based on his play ''Scarlet Ribbons'', at the suggestion of Colin Graham, who eventual ...

'' (1965) - libretto by

Beverley Cross Alan Beverley Cross (13 April 1931 – 20 March 1998) was an English playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Early life Born in London into a theatrical family, and educated at the Nautical College Pangbourne, Cross started off by wri ...

*''A Penny for a Song'' (1967) *''All the King's Men'' (1968) - libretto by Beverley Cross *''Victory'' (1970) - libretto by Beverley Cross

Ballet

*'' Jazz Calendar'' (1968) *''

Isadora Isidora or Isadora is a female given name of Greek origin, derived from Ἰσίδωρος, ''Isídōros'' (a compound of Ἶσις, ''Ísis'', and δῶρον, ''dōron'': "gift of he goddessIsis"). The male equivalent is Isidore. The name surviv ...

'' (1981)

Choral and vocal works

* ''Tom o' Bedlam's Song'' (1961) - voice and cello * ''Two Madrigals: 1. Still to be neat, 2. The hour-glass'' (1961) – text by

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

* ''The Aviary'', song cycle (1966) *''The Insect World'', song cycle (1966) * ''Soliloquy'' (1967) - voice and jazz ensemble, text Julian Mitchell, written for

* ''Five Carols: There is No Rose, Out of Your Sleep, That Younge Child, Sweet was the Song, Susanni'' (1967) - written for St Matthew's Church Northampton * ''Spells'' (1974) - written for soprano

Jane Manning Jane Marian Manning OBE (20 September 193831 March 2021) was an English concert and opera soprano, writer on music, and visiting professor at Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Royal College of Music. A specialist in contemporary classi ...

* ''Sea Change'' (1983) *''Nonsense'' (1984) - chorus and piano duet, a setting of the seven poems by

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was a British writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

*''Missa Brevis'' (1990) *''Partridge Pie'' (1990) for chorus and piano (based on ''The Twelve Days of Christmas'') *''On Christmas Day to My Heart'', (1998) - written for the

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Nine Lessons and Carols, also known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, is a service of Christian worship traditionally celebrated on or near Christmas Eve in Anglican churches. The story of the f ...

King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...

in 1999. *''A Good-Night'' (1999) * ''The Glory and the Dream'' (2000), chorus a cappella and 1 instrument, text

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...

* ''A Farewell to Arms'' (2001) *''The Garden – A Serenade to Glimmerglass'' (2006) - commissioned by Nicholas Russell for

Glimmerglass Opera The Glimmerglass Festival (formerly known as Glimmerglass Opera) is an American opera company. Founded in 1975 by Peter Macris, the Glimmerglass Festival presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake nort ...

in honour of Stewart Robertson for its Young American Artists Program *''A History of the Thé Dansant'' for mezzo-soprano and small orchestra (2011)

Recordings

Albums

Solo: *''Lush Life'' (1988) - Ode Records *''I Never Went Away'' (1992) - Delos *''Harold Arlen's Songs'' (1994) - Audiophile *''A Different Side of Sondheim'' (1995) - DRG *''Take Love Easy'' (2002) - Audiophile *''Richard Rodney Bennett: Words And Music'' (2007) - Chandos with Marion Montgomery *''Surprise Surprise'' (1977) *''Town and Country''(1978) *'' Puttin' On the Ritz'' (1984) with Carol Sloane (singer) *''Love You Madly'' (1989) - Contemporary with Chris Connor (singer) *''Classic'' (1991) - Contemporary *''New Again'' (1991) - Contemporary with Mary Cleere Haran (singer) *''This Funny World: Mary Cleere Haran Sings Lyrics By Hart (1995)'' - Varèse Sarabande *''Pennies From Heaven: Movie Songs From The Depression Era'' (1998) - Angel Records *''The Memory Of All That: Gershwin On Broadway and In Hollywood'' (1999) - 2011 reissue *''Crazy Rhythm: Manhattan in the 20s'' (2002) - Varèse Sarabande with Claire Martin *'' When Lights Are Low'' (2005) *''

Witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

'' (2010) *''Say It Isn't So'' (2013) Opera *''The Mines of Sulphur'' (2005) - Chandos Orchestral *''Symphony No. 1'' (1968) - with works by Bax and Berkeley,

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

Igor Buketoff Igor Konstantin Buketoff (29 May 19157 September 2001) was an American conducting, conductor, arranger and teacher. He had a special affinity with Russian classical music and with Sergei Rachmaninoff in particular. He also strongly promoted Unit ...

, RCA *''Jazz Calendar''; Piano Concerto (1972) - Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich,

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, Alexander Gibson, Philips *''Spells''; ''Aubade'' (1979) -

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

David Willcocks Sir David Valentine Willcocks, (30 December 1919 – 17 September 2015) was a British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator. He was particularly well known for his association with the Choir of King's College, Cambridg ...

David Atherton David Atherton (born 3 January 1944) is an English conductor and founder of the London Sinfonietta. Background Atherton was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, into a musical family. He was educated at Blackpool Grammar School. His father, Rober ...

, Argo *''Partita''; ''Four Jazz Songs''; ''Enchanted April Suite'' (1995) -

Britten Sinfonia Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in the ...

Nicholas Cleobury Nicholas Cleobury (born 23 June 1950) is an English conducting, conductor. Cleobury was organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford and held assistant organist posts at Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church ...

, the composer, Neil Richardson, BBC *''Diversions''; Symphony No. 3; Violin Concerto (1996) -

Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (, OPMC) is an orchestra based in the Principality of Monaco. The orchestra gives concerts primarily in the Auditorium Rainier III, but also performs at the Salle des Princes in the Grimaldi Forum. History Th ...

James DePreist James Anderson DePreist (November 21, 1936 – February 8, 2013) was an American conductor. DePreist was one of the first African-American conductors on the world stage. He was the director emeritus of conducting and orchestral studies at ...

, Koch *''Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 1'' (2017) - ''Celebration''; Marimba Concerto; Symphony No. 3; ''Summer Music''; Sinfonietta. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Chandos *''Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 2'' (2018) - ''Concerto for Stan Getz''; Symphony No. 2; ''Serenade''; ''Partita''. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Chandos *''Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 3'' (2019) - Symphony No. 1; ''A History of the Dansant''; ''Reflections on a 16th Century Tune''; ''Zodiac''. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Chandos *''Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 4'' (2020) - ''Aubade''; Piano Concerto; ''Anniversaries''; ''Country Dances, Book One'', ''Troubadour Music''. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Chandos *''Bennett: Orchestral Works, Vol 5'' (2025) - Concerto for Orchestra; ''Sonnets to Orpheus'', ''Diversions''. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson, Chandos Choral *''Stuff and Nonsense'' (1999) - Astounding Sounds for

London Oriana Choir London Oriana Choir is a choral group comprising around 120 singers, based in London, England. It was formed in 1973 by Leon Lovett, who acted as conductor and musical director. David Drummond became the choir's musical director in 1996, and Dominic ...

*''Letters to Lindbergh'' (2013) - Signum UK *''Sea Change: Choral Music of Richard Rodney Bennett'' (2013) - The

Cambridge Singers The Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber choir formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label Collegium Records. The group initially comprised former singers fro ...

, the composer and

John Rutter Sir John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Biography Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, R ...

, Collegium Records

Selected TV and filmography

* ''

Pickup Alley ''Interpol'' (USA title: ''Pickup Alley''; also known as ''International Police'') is a 1957 British-American CinemaScope crime film noir directed by John Gilling and starring Victor Mature, Anita Ekberg, Trevor Howard, Bonar Colleano and ...

'' (1957) * ''

Face in the Night ''Face in the Night'', released in the US as ''Menace in the Night'', is a 1957 British second feature crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Griffith Jones, Lisa Gastoni and Vincent Ball. It was written by Norman Hudis and John She ...

'' (1957) * ''

The Safecracker ''The Safecracker'' is a 1958 British crime film noir directed by Ray Milland and starring Milland, Barry Jones and Victor Maddern. Plot Colley Dawson lives a quiet life at home with his mother, but he is an expert safecracker at weekends, b ...

'' (1958) * '' Indiscreet'' (1958) * '' The Man Inside'' (1959) * ''

The Man Who Could Cheat Death ''The Man Who Could Cheat Death'' is a 1959 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, and Christopher Lee. Jimmy Sangster adapted the screenplay from the play '' The Man in Half Moon Street' ...

'' (1959) * '' The Angry Hills'' (1959) * '' Chance Meeting'' (1959) * '' The Devil's Disciple'' (1959) * '' The Mark'' (1961) * ''

Only Two Can Play ''Only Two Can Play'' is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat starring Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling and Virginia Maskell. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1955 novel '' That Uncertain Feeling'' by Kingsley Amis ...

'' (1962) * ''

Satan Never Sleeps ''Satan Never Sleeps '' (also known as ''The Devil Never Sleeps'' and ''Flight from Terror'') is a 1962 American drama romance war film directed by Leo McCarey, his final film, in which he returns to the religious themes of his classics ''Going M ...

'' (1962) * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) * ''

Heavens Above! ''Heavens Above!'' is a 1963 British satirical comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting, and starring Peter Sellers. It was written by John Boulting and Frank Harvey, from an idea by Malcolm Muggeridge. Plot A naive but cari ...

'' (1963) * ''

Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a Billy Liar (film), film, a Billy (musical), musical and a Billy Liar (TV series), TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popul ...

'' (1963) * ''

Hamlet at Elsinore ''Hamlet at Elsinore'' is a 1964 television version of Hamlet, the c. 1600 play by William Shakespeare. Produced by the BBC in association with Danmarks Radio, it was shown in the U.S. on National Educational Television, NET. Winning wide acclaim ...

'' (1964) (TV) * '' One Way Pendulum'' (1964) * ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic ...

'' (1964–1967) (TV, 3 episodes) * ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish wikt:fashionista, fashionista from Flushing, Queens, who becomes the nanny of three children ...

'' (1965) * '' The Witches'' (1966) * '' Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1967) ( nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score) * ''

'' (1967) * ''

Secret Ceremony ''Secret Ceremony'' is a 1968 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow and Robert Mitchum. Based on the Argentine novel ''Ceremonia secreta'' by Marco Denevi, the film follows ...

'' (1968) * '' The Buttercup Chain'' (1970) * ''

Figures in a Landscape ''Figures in a Landscape'' was Barry England's first novel. Published by Jonathan Cape in the summer of 1968, it was hailed by critics as an exemplary addition to the literature of escape. Two professional soldiers, Ansell and MacConnachie, hav ...

'' (1970) * ''

'' (1971) ( nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score (Dramatic)) * ''

'' (1973) * ''

Voices Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (1 ...

'' (1973) * ''

'' (1974) ( nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score) * ''

Permission to Kill ''Permission to Kill'' (also known as ''The Executioner'' and Vollmacht Zum Mord) is a 1975 Austrian/American/British spy thriller film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Dirk Bogarde, Ava Gardner and Bekim Fehmiu with Timothy Dalton, N ...

'' (1975) * '' Sherlock Holmes in New York'' (1976) (TV) * '' The Accuser'' aka L'Imprécateur (1977) * '' Equus'' (1977) * ''

The Brink's Job ''The Brink's Job'' is a 1978 American crime comedy drama film directed by William Friedkin and starring Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, Allen Garfield, Warren Oates, Gena Rowlands, and Paul Sorvino. It is based on the Brink's robbery of 1950 in B ...

'' (1978) * ''

Yanks ''Yanks'' is a 1979 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, and produced by Joseph Janni and Lester Persky, and is written by Colin Welland and Walter Bernstein. It stars Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Chick ...

'' (1979) * ''

The Return of the Soldier ''The Return of the Soldier'' is the debut novel of English novelist Rebecca West, first published in 1918. The novel recounts the return of the shell shocked Captain Chris Baldry from the trenches of the First World War from the perspective ...

'' (1982) * ''Knockback'' (1984) (TV) * '' The Ebony Tower'' (1984) (TV) * '' Murder with Mirrors'' (1985) (TV) * ''

Tender is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young ...

'' (1985) (TV mini-series) * '' Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story'' (1987) (TV) * '' The Charmer'' (1987) (TV mini-series) * ''

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever and direc ...

'' (1988) (TV, 1 episode) * '' The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank'' (1988) (TV) * '' Enchanted April'' (1991) * ''

'' (1994) * ''Swann'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) (TV) * ''

'' (2000) (TV mini-series)

References

External links

Biography and list of works, published by Novello & Company Ltd

Richard Rodney Bennett
biography and works on the UE website * *
Conversation between Richard Rodney Bennett and Claire Martin
– British Library sound recording

by Bruce Duffie, 25 March 1988
Richard Rodney Bennett
at ''Epdlp'' (Spanish)
Appearance on Desert Island Discs, 19 October 1997
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Richard Rodney 1936 births 2012 deaths 20th-century English male musicians 20th-century English pianists 20th-century English classical composers 20th-century British jazz composers 21st-century English male musicians 21st-century English pianists 21st-century English classical composers 21st-century jazz composers Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners British ballet composers English male pianists Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Composers awarded knighthoods English film score composers English jazz composers English male film score composers English opera composers English LGBTQ composers Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music LGBTQ classical composers LGBTQ film score composers LGBTQ jazz composers English male opera composers British male jazz composers Musicians from Kent Knights Bachelor English light music composers People educated at Leighton Park School People from Broadstairs Pupils of Lennox Berkeley Composers for saxophone Jazz-influenced classical composers