ENDEIT

Pianists · 1936–2012

Richard Rodney Bennett

British composer and pianist (1936-2012)

Born
29 March 1936
Broadstairs
Died
24 December 2012
New York City
Country
United Kingdom
Active
1954–
Record labels
EMI Classics, Chandos Records
Discography
40 albums

Biography

Richard Rodney Bennett was a jazz musician who played piano. Richard Rodney Bennett was born on 29 March 1936 in Broadstairs and died on 24 December 2012 in New York City. The music is usually filed under classical music. Record labels: EMI Classics and Chandos Records. The discography here lists 40 albums, from “The Midnight Thief” (1964) to “Orchestral Works, Vol. 5” (2025). Honours include Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Knight Bachelor.

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 1936 – 24 December 2012) was an English composer and pianist. He was noted for his musical versatility, drawing from such sources as jazz, romanticism, and avant-garde; and for his use of twelve-tone technique and serialism. 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, winning once for Best Original Music for the film Murder on the Orient Express (1974). He was also nominated for three Academy Awards (Far from the Madding Crowd, 1967; Nicholas and Alexandra, 1971; and Murder on the Orient Express) and three Grammy Awards, among other accolades. He was the International Chair of Composition of the Royal Academy of Music, and was knighted in 1998.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

The Midnight Thief 1964 · His Master’s Voice Billion Dollar Brain 1967 · United Artists Nicholas and Alexandra (Original Sound Track) 1971 · Bell Records
L’Imprécateur 1977 · Barclay
Town and Country 1978 · Pye Records Yanks 1979 · MCA Records The Return of the Soldier 1983 · TER Lush Life 1988 · Ode Records I Never Went Away ... 1990 · Delos Far From the Madding Crowd 1991 · Sony Music Special Products A Different Side of Sondheim 1995 · DRG Records Sax Drive 1995 · Argo Diversions / Violin Concerto / Symphony No. 3 (James DePreist, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo) 1996 · KOCH International Classics English Guitar Music 1997 · musicaphon Equus 1998 · Rykodisc
Far From The Madding Crowd - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2000
Gormenghast 2000 · Sony Classical The Film Music of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett 2000 · Chandos Movies Complete Works for Solo Piano 2004 · Metronome Recordings Murder On The Orient Express - Lady Caroline Lamb 2004 · EMI Classics Sea Change: The Choral Music of Richard Rodney Bennett 2005 · Collegium Records The Mines of Sulphur 2005 · Chandos
When Lights are Low 2005
The Pick-Up Artist / Sherlock Holmes in New York 2006
Words & Music 2007 · Chandos Billion Dollar Brain / Who Dares Wins 2009 · Kritzerland Lady Caroline Lamb 2009 · Singular Soundtrack Songs Before Sleep 2010 · NMC
Witchcraft 2011
Letters to Lindbergh 2013 · Signum Classics Murder on the Orient Express 2013 · Quartet Records
Say It Isn't So 2013
Orchestral Works, Vol. 1 2017 · Chandos BBC Music, Volume 26, Number 12: Saxophone Concerto / Reflections on a 16th-Century Tune 2018 · BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Works Volume 2 2018 · Chandos The Glory and the Dream: Choral Music by Richard Rodney Bennett 2018 · Somm Recordings Symphony No.1 / A History of the Thé Dansant / Zodiac / Reflections on a Sixteenth Century Tune 2019 · Chandos Orchestral Works, Vol. 4 2020 · Chandos Orchestral Works, Vol. 5 2025 · Chandos Alexa Still, flute (New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, James Sedares, Susan DeWitt Smith) · KOCH International Classics

Also plays on

Albums where Richard Rodney Bennett is credited as a sideman

1980 Satisfaction Guaranteed — Mark Murphy arranger
1993 Richard Rodney Bennett Plays George Gershwin's Solo Piano Works — George Gershwin played by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett piano
1994 Bring Back Romance — Ann Hampton Callaway arranger, keyboard, piano

Awards

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Richard Rodney Bennett play?

Richard Rodney Bennett is known for playing piano.

When and where was Richard Rodney Bennett born?

Richard Rodney Bennett was born 29 March 1936 in Broadstairs.

What are Richard Rodney Bennett's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include The Midnight Thief (1964), Billion Dollar Brain (1967), Nicholas and Alexandra (Original Sound Track) (1971), Town and Country (1978) and Yanks (1979).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.