Richard Rodney Bennett Biography (1936-)

Born March 29, 1936, in Broadstairs, Kent, England; son of H. Rodney (a lyricist and author) and Joan Esther (a musician, composer, and music critic; maiden name, Spink) Bennett. Addresses: Agent: Nigel Britten, Lemon, Unna& Durbridge Ltd., 24 Pottery Lane, Holland Park, London W11 4LZ, England.; Contact: Novello and Co. Ltd., 8-10 Lower James St., London W1R 3PL, England.

Nationality: British
Gender: Male
Occupation: Composer
Birth Details: March 29, 1936; Broadstairs, Kent, United Kingdom

Famous Works

CREDITS
Film Work
Music conductor, Billion Dollar Brain, United Artists, 1967
(As Richard Bennett) Guitarist, Wag the Dog, New Line Cinema, 1997
Stage Work
Accompanist, The Cat's Meow, Café Carlyle, New York City, 2001
RECORDINGS
Albums
Billion Dollar Brain (soundtrack recording), 1967
Far from the Madding Crowd (soundtrack recording), 1967
Contributor to recordings by Elisabeth Lutyens; supervisor of orchestration for Standing Stone, by Paul McCartney, 1997.
WRITINGS
Film Scores
The World Assured (documentary), British Insurance Institute, c. 1955.
Pickup Alley (also known as Interpol), Columbia, 1957
(As Richard Bennett) Indiscreet, Warner Bros., 1958
The Man Inside, Columbia, 1958
Menace in the Night (also known as A Face in the Night), United Artists, 1958
The Safecracker, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1958
Chance Meeting (also known as Blind Date), Paramount, 1959
(As Richard Bennett) The Angry Hills, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1959
The Devil's Disciple, United Artists, 1959
The Man Who Could Cheat Death, Paramount, 1959
The Mark, Continental, 1961
Only Two Can Play, British Lion, 1961 (some sources cite 1962).
Satan Never Sleeps (also known as The Devil Never Sleeps and Flight from Terror), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1962
The Wrong Arm of the Law, Continental, 1963 (some sources cite 1962).
Heavens Above!, British Lion, 1963
Billy Liar, Continental, 1963
One Way Pendulum, United Artists, 1964 (some sources cite 1965).
The Nanny, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1965
The Devil's Own (also known as The Witches), 1966 TwentiethCentury-Fox, 1967
Far from the Madding Crowd, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1967
Billion Dollar Brain, United Artists, 1967
Secret Ceremony, Universal, 1968
The Buttercup Chain, Warner Bros., 1970
Figures in a Landscape, National General, 1971 (some sources cite1970).
Nicholas and Alexandra, Columbia, 1971
The Go Between, 1971
Lady Caroline Lamb (also known as Peccato d'amore), UnitedArtists, 1973
Voices (also known as Nightmare), Hemdale, 1973
Of Jewels and Gold, 1973
Murder on the Orient Express, Paramount, 1974
Permission to Kill, Warner Bros., 1975
L'imprecateur (also known as The Accuser), Parafrance, 1977
Equus, United Artists, 1977
The Brink's Job (also known as Big Stickup at Brink's), Universal, 1978
Yanks (also known as Yanks--Gestern waren wir noch Freunde), Universal, 1979
Return of the Soldier, European Classics, 1982
Enchanted April, Miramax, 1993 (some sources cite 1992).
Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gramercy Pictures, 1994
Swann, Norstar Releasing, 1996
Film Music
Other
"Amazed and Confused," The Jazz Singer, Associated Film, 1980
Television Movie Scores
Sherlock Holmes in New York, 1976
Agatha Christie's Murder with Mirrors, CBS, 1985
Tender Is the Night, Showtime, 1985
Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, NBC, 1987
The Attic: The Hiding of Ann Frank, 1987 (some sources cite 1988).
The Man Who Lived at the Ritz, syndicated, 1988
The Tale of Sweeney Todd, Showtime, 1998
Also composer of music for The Charmer, The Christians, andL. P. Hartley Trilogy.
Television Music
Other
Incidental music, Doctor Who (series), 1964
"The Ebony Tower," Great Performances, PBS, 1987 (some sources cite 1984).
"Strange Interlude," American Playhouse, PBS, 1988 (some sources cite 1987).
The Story of Hollywood (series), TNT, 1988
An Evening with Maria Ewing, Arts and Entertainment, 1990
Gormenghast (miniseries), BBC America, 2000
Operas
The Ledge, libretto by Adrian Mitchell, Sadler's Wells Theatre, England, 1961
The Mines of Sulphur, libretto by Beverley Cross, Sadler's Wells Theatre, 1965
A Penny for a Song (based on John Whiting's comedy), Sadler's Wells Opera Company, 1967
Victory (based on the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad), libretto by Beverley Cross, Covent Garden Theatre, London, 1970
All the King's Men (children's opera), 1970
Symphonies
Symphony Number One, Royal Festival Hall, London, 1966
Symphony Number Two, performed by the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, 1969
Symphony Number Three, Three Choirs Festival, 1987
Concertos
Horn Concerto, 1955
Piano Concerto Number One, performed by Stephen Bishop and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, 1968
Oboe Concerto, 1970
Guitar Concerto, 1970
Concerto for Viola and Chamber Ensemble, 1973
Concerto for Orchestra, 1973
Violin Concerto, 1975
Scena and commedia: Commedia II, 1976
Harpsichord Concerto, 1980
Scena and commedia: Concerto for Wind Quintet, 1983
Clarinet Concerto, 1987
Saxophone Concerto, 1988
Marimba Concerto, 1988
Ballets
Isadora, choreography by Kenneth Macmillan, Royal Opera House, London, 1981
Noctuary (variations on a theme by Scott Joplin), 1985
Vocal/Choral Compositions
Put Away the Flutes, 1952
Nocturnal upon St. Lucie's Day, 1954

The Tillaquils, 1955
Three Songs, 1955
Ricercar, 1956
Farewell to Arms, 1959
The Approaches to Sleep, 1960
Lament, 1960
The Worlde's Joie, 1960
Tom O'Bedlam's Song, 1961
Childe Rolande to the Dark Tower Came, 1961
Three Madrigals, 1961
London Pastoral, 1962
Three Elegies, 1962
Nowell, Nowell, Tidings True, 1963
Two Lullabies, 1963
The Sorrows of Mary, 1964
Verses, 1964
One Evening, 1964
Epithalamion (for chorus and orchestra), Leeds Festival, Leeds, England, 1967
Soliloquy, 1967
Five Carols, 1967
The Music That Her Echo Is, 1967
Two Carols, 1968
Crazy Jane, 1968
Jazz Pastoral, 1969
A Garland for Marjory Fleming, 1969
Four Devotions, 1971
Funny Thing, 1971
The House of Sleepe, 1971
She Reminds Me of You, 1971
Tenebrae, 1971
Sonnet Sequence, 1972
Nightpiece, 1972
Quietly with Bright Eyes, 1972
Time's Whiter Scenes, 1974
Spells, 1975
The Ghost Who Died for Love, 1976
First Thing about Me, 1977
Let's Go and Live in the Country, 1978
Our Own Kind of Dancing, 1979
Nonsense, 1979
Puer nobis, 1980
I Never Went Away, 1980
Letters to Lindbergh, 1981
Vocalize, 1981
Seachange, 1981
This Is the Garden, 1984
Five Sonnets of Louise Labe, 1984
Lullaby Mine Liking, 1984
Love Songs, 1984
Nowel, 1986
A Death Shall Have No Domain, 1986
Lullaby Baby, 1986
Dream Songs, 1986
Ophelia, 1987
Other Musical Compositions
String Quarter Number 1, 1951
Variations for Solo Oboe, Arts Council of Great Britain, 1953
String Quartet Number 2, 1953
String Quartet Number 3, 1953
Sonata for Piano, 1954
Sonata for Flute, 1955
Four Improvisations, 1955
Sonata Number 1, 1955
Sonata for Cello, 1955
Sonata for Viola, 1955
Parallels, 1955
Five Pieces, 1956
Cycle for Piano I-IX, 1957
Studies for Five Instruments, 1957
Study, 1957
Theme and Variations, 1957
Music for Two Pianos, 1958
Cycle II for Paul Jacobs, 1958
Music for an Occasion, 1959
Stanzas for Flute, 1959
Journal, 1960
Calendar, 1960
Stanzas for Organ, 1960
Winter Music, 1960
Sonata for Oboe and Piano, 1961
Suite francaise, 1961
The Approaches of Sleep (cantata), 1961
Pastorale (song cycles), 1962
Quartet for Clarinet, String Trio, and Piano, 1962
Fanfare, 1962
Fantasy, 1962
Nocturnes, 1963
Rondo, 1963
A Jazz Calendar (chamber music), 1964
Violin Sonata Number Two, 1964
Five Studies for the Piano, 1964
Aubade, 1964
Trio for Three Violins, 1964
Sonata Number 2, 1964
Suite, 1965
Trio for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, 1965
A Canon for Stravinsky, 1967
Quintet, 1968
Capriccio, 1968
Impromptu for Guitar, 1968
Impromptu for Flute, 1969
Intrada, 1970
Madrigals, 1971
Commedia I, 1972
Commedia III, 1973
Alba, 1973
Scena I, 1973
Commedia IV, 1974
Four Piece Suite, 1974
Quartet for Oboe and String Trio, 1975
Zodiac, 1976
Serenade, 1976
Telegram, 1976
Actaeon, 1977
Music for Strings, 1977
Kandinsky Variations, 1977
Scena III, 1977
Double Brass Concert, 1978
Sonata for Horn and Piano, 1978
Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1978
Sonnets for Orpheus, 1979
Metamorphoses, 1980
Six Tunes for the Instruction of Singing Birds, 1981
Music for String Quartet, 1981
Impromptu on the Name of Haydn, 1981
Sonatina for Clarinet, 1981
Anniversaries, 1982
Freda's Fandango, 1982
After Syrinx I, 1982
Memento (for solo flute and string orchestra), 1983
Sonata for Guitar, 1983
Sinfonietta, 1984
Moving into Aquarius, 1984
Serenade II, 1984
After Syrinx, 1984
Sounds and Sweet Airs, 1985
Sonata after Syrinx, 1985
Duo Concertante, 1985
Reflections on a Theme of William Walton, 1985
Romances, 1985
Tango after Syrinx, 1985
Tender Is the Night: Suite, 1985
Morning Music, 1986
Dream Dancing, 1986
Lamento d'Arianna, 1986
After Ariadne, 1986
Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano, 1986
Suite for Skip and Sadie, 1986
Sonata for Wind Quartet and Piano, 1987
The Flowers of the Forest, 1989
Other Writings
Contributor of articles about music to periodicals.

Further Reference

ADAPTATIONS

A Jazz Calendar was adapted for use in Frederick Ashton's ballet of the same name, first performed by the Royal Ballet in 1968.

OTHER SOURCES

Books

Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 2nd edition, 1998

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