Bennet, Sir Richard Rodney
Bennet, Sir Richard Rodney
Bennet, Sir Richard Rodney, eminent English composer; b. Broadstairs, March 29, 1936. He began composing in his youth, and then studied with Howard Ferguson and Lennox Berkeley at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1953–56). After further training in Paris with Boulez on a French government scholarship (1957–59), he returned to London. From 1963 to 1965 he was prof. of composition at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1983 he became vice president of the Royal Coll. of Music. He held the International Chair of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in 1995. In 1977 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and in 1998 he was knighted. Bennett is a remarkable composer whose prolific output reveals a facile and inventive mind. He has written scores in all of the principal genres in a style that has incorporated traditional, atonal, and jazz elements.
Works
DRAMATIC: Opera: The Ledge (London, Sept. 11, 1961); The Midnight Thief, children’s opera (1963); The Mines of Sulphur (1963-65; London, Feb. 24, 1965); A Penny for a Song (London, Oct. 31, 1967); All the King’s Men, children’s opera (1968; Coventry, March 28, 1969); Victory (1969-70; London, April 13, 1970). b a 1 1 e t :Jazz Calendar (1963–64); Isadora (1980; London, April 30, 1981); Noctuary (1981; Armidale, Australia, June 3, 1985). Film: Many, including Far From the Madding Crowd (1967); Nicholas and Alexandra (1971); Murder on the Orient Express (1973); Enchanted April (1992); Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994); Swann (1996). OTHER: Radio and television scores. ORCH.: Horn Concerto (1956); Journal (1960); Calendar for Chamber Ensemble (London, Nov. 24, 1960); Suite française for Chamber Orch. (1961); Nocturnes for Chamber Orch. (1962); Aubade (London, Sept. 1, 1964); 3 syms.: No. 1 (1965; London, Feb. 10, 1966), No. 2 (1967; N.Y., Jan. 18, 1968), and No. 3 (Worcester, Aug. 24, 1987); Piano Concerto (Birmingham, Sept. 19, 1968); Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Ensemble (London, Nov. 18, 1970); Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orch. (York, July 3, 1973); Concerto for Orch. (1973; Denver, Feb. 25, 1974); Violin Concerto (1975; Birmingham, March 25, 1976); Zodiac (Washington, D.C., March 30, 1976); Serenade (1976; London, April 24, 1977); Acteon for Horn and Orch. (London, Aug. 12, 1977); Music for Strings (1977; Cheltenham, July 7, 1978); Concerto for Double Bass and Chamber Orch. (Isle of Man, Aug. 1978); Sonnets to Orpheus for Cello and Orch. (Edinburgh, Sept. 3, 1979); Harpsichord Concerto (St. Louis, Dec. 4, 1980); Anniversaries (London, Sept. 9, 1982); Freda’s Fandango (1982; Cheltenham, July 2, 1983); Memento for Flute and Strings (Windsor, Nov. 10, 1983); Sinfonietta (1984; St. Ives, Huntingdon, Feb. 16, 1985); Moving into Aquarius (1984; London, Jan. 23, 1985; in collaboration with Thea Musgrave); Reflections on a Theme of William Walton for 11 Solo Strings (London, May 20, 1985); Dream Dancing for 13 Players (London, May 28, 1986); Concerto for Clarinet and Strings (1987; Keele, Feb. 15, 1988); Concerto for Saxophone and Strings (London, Oct. 14, 1988); Diversions (1989; London, March 17, 1990); Concerto for Percussion and Chamber Orch. (Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, June 27, 1990); Concerto for Stan Getz for Tenor Saxophone, Timpani, and Strings (1990; London, Aug. 1, 1992); Celebration (1991; Hagerstown, Md., March 14, 1992); Variations on a Nursery Tune (London, Aug. 1, 1992); Concerto for Bassoon and Strings (1994; London, April 4, 1995); Partita (London, Oct. 19, 1995); Reflections on a 16th Century Tune for Strings (Portsmouth, April 10, 1999); Rondel for Large Jazz Ensemble (London, May 1, 1999); Flute Concerto (London, Aug. 12, 1999). Wind and Brass Ensembles: Morning Music for Symphonic Wind Ensemble (1986; Boston, July 25, 1987); Concerto for 10 Brass Players (1988; London, June 27, 1989); Flowers of the Forest for Brass Band (London, Aug. 6, 1989); The Four Seasons (Cheltenham, July 16, 1991); Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Orch. (Manchester, Sept. 17, 1993). CHAMBER: 4 string quartets (1952, 1953, 1960, 1964); Sonatina for Solo Flute (1954); 4 Improvisations for Violin (1955); Winter Music for Flute and Piano (1960); Oboe Sonata (1961); Sonata for Solo Violin (1964); Conversations for 2 Flutes (1964); Trio for Flute, Oboe, and Clarinet (1965); Wind Quintet (1967–68); 5 Impromptus for Guitar (1968); Commedia I for 6 Players (1972), II for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1972; N.Y., April 5, 1973), III for 10 Players (London, Feb. 25, 1973), and IV for Brass Quintet (1973; London, April 27, 1974); Scena II for Cello (1973; Bangor, Wales, April 25, 1974) and 17/ for Clarinet (1977; London, Jan. 13, 1978); Oboe Quartet (Kings Lynn, July 28, 1975); Travel Notes 1 for String Quartet (1975) and 2 for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1976); Horn Sonata (1978; Edinburgh, Sept. 6, 1979); Violin Sonata (1978; London, Jan. 17, 1979); Metamorphoses for String Octet (Fish-guard Festival, Wales, July 21, 1980); Six Tunes for the Instruction of Singing Birds for Flute (Norfolk, Aug. 15, 1981); Music for String Quartet (1981; Portsmouth, April 1, 1982); Sonatina for Solo Clarinet (1981; Northumberland, March 1983); After Syrinx I for Oboe and Piano (1982; Seaton, Devon, Oct. 13, 1983) and II for Marimba (N.Y., May 21, 1984); Summer Music for Flute and Piano (London, Nov. 23, 1982); Concerto for Wind Quintet (1983; Roehampton, Aug. 15, 1984); Sonata for Solo Guitar (1983; Cheltenham, July 17, 1985); Serenade for Ondes Martenot and Piano (1984); Romances for Horn and Piano (1985; N.Y., Feb. 25, 1986); Duo Concertante for Clarinet and Piano (1985; Cheltenham, July 17, 1986); Sonata After Syrinx for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1985; London, May 20, 1986); Sounds and Sweet Aires for Flute, Oboe, and Piano (1985; WUNC Radio, Chapel Hill, N.C., April 26, 1986); Tender is the Night for Ondes Martenot and String Quartet (1985); Lamento d’Arianna for String Quartet (Bromsgrove Festival, May 7, 1986); Sonata for Wind Quintet and Piano (1986; N.Y., April 21, 1987); Soprano Saxophone Sonata (1986; London, Nov. 23, 1988); After Ariadne for Viola and Piano (1986; Cheltenham, July 7, 1987); Arethusa for Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello (Manchester, Aug. 16, 1989); A Book of Hours for Chamber Group (London, Sept. 16, 1991); Cello Sonata (1991; Harrogate, Aug. 11, 1992); Capriccio for Cello and Piano (Ryedale Festival, Aug. 7, 1991); Bassoon Sonata (1991; Seaton, Feb. 11, 1993); Arabesque for Oboe (1992; Birmingham, Feb. 2, 1993); Clarinet Quintet (Warwick, July 3, 1992); Saxophone Quartet (Cheltenham, July 12, 1994); Three Piece Suite for Alto Saxophone and Piano (Loughborough, March 21, 1996; transcription of 3 movements from the Four Piece Suite for 2 Pianos, 1974); Rondel for Viola (1997). KEYBOARD: Piano: Sonata (1954); 5 Studies (1962–64); Capriccio for Piano, 4-Hands (1968); Scena I (1974); Four Piece Suite for 2 Pianos (1974); Kandinsky Variations for 2 Pianos (London, Dec. 1, 1977); Impromptu on the Name of Haydn (1981; BBC, March 31, 1982); Noctuary (1981; Armidale, Australia, June 3, 1985); Tango After Syrinx (1985); Tender is the Night (BBC Radio 2, June 30, 1985); Suite for Skip and Sadie for Piano Duet (1986); Three Romantic Pieces (BBC, Birmingham, Oct. 28, 1988); Excursions (1993; Surrey, Feb. 6, 1994); Impromptu on a Theme of Henri Dutilleux (1994). Organ: Alba (Bradford, Nov. 3, 1973). VOCAL: The Approaches of Sleep for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass, and Chamber Ensemble (1959–60); London Pastoral for Tenor and Chamber Orch. (1962); Crazy Jane for Soprano, Clarinet, Cello, and Piano, after Yeats (1968; BBC TV, May 26, 1970); A Garland for Marjory Fleming for Soprano and Piano, after Marjory Fleming (1969; BBC, Edinburgh, Dec. 2, 1970); Sonnet Sequence for Tenor and String Orch. (Milton Keynes, Dec. 20, 1974); Spells for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (1974; Worcester, Aug. 28, 1975); Time’s Whiter Series for Countertenor and Lute (1974; Aldeburgh, June 6, 1975); The Little Ghost Who Died for Love for Soprano and Piano (1976; London, Jan. 31, 1977); Just Friends in Print for Voice and Piano (1979); Nonsense for Chorus and Piano Duet (1979; rev. version, Chester, July 18, 1984); Puer Nobis for Chorus (Aberdeen, Dec. 21, 1980); Vocalese for Soprano and Piano (1981; London, March 1, 1983); Letters to Lindbergh for Women’s Voices and Piano Duet (Sevenoaks, May 16, 1982); Sea-Change for Chorus and Tubular Bells ad libitum (1983; Worcester, Aug. 23, 1984); Lullay Mine Liking for Chorus (Broadstairs, Dec. 23, 1984); this is the garden for High Voice and Piano (1984; Brighton, May 13, 1985); And Death Shall Have No Dominion for Men’s Chorus and Horn (1986; London, July 7, 1988); Dream-Songs for Soprano or Unison High Voices and Piano (1986; Mont Albert, Australia, March 24, 1990); Nowel for Chorus (Cambridge, Dec. 24, 1986); Missa Brevis for Chorus (1990; Canterbury, Feb. 10, 1991); Sermons and Devotions for 6 Men’s Voices, after Donne (1992; Berlin, March 18, 1993); A History of Thé Dansant for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (Norfolk, Aug. 13, 1994); Calico Pie for Chorus, after Edward Lear (1994; Manchester, May 14, 1995); A Contemplation Upon Flowers for Chorus (1999); A Good Night for Chorus (Godalming, July 18, 1999). BIBL: S. Craggs, R.R. B.: A Bio-Bibliography (Westport, Conn., 1990).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire