Richard Rodney Bennett

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, in the enormous diversity of his activities, is arguably the most complete musician of all time. Not only does he have a remarkable 300 commissioned concert works to his credit, which have established him among the leading British twentieth-century composers, yet at the same time, with supreme success, he has also contrived to lead several completely different musical lives. For some, he is the ultimate exponent of 'crossover', as epitomised in his remarkable Concerto for Stan Getz and concert works for Cleo Laine. Others remember him as a concert pianist with a special enthusiasm for pioneering contemporary music, his partnerships with Susan Bradshaw, Jane Manning and Barry Tuckwell being particularly notable. Meanwhile, he also has over 70 film and television scores to his credit, the many classic titles ranging from Murder on the Orient Express and Far From the Madding Crowd to Equus and Four Weddings and a Funeral. For cabaret and jazz club devotees, he is, again, something completely different: one of the finest and most knowledgeable of all exponents of the Great American Songbook, a much-in-demand singer and accompanist over the past thirty-five years, and, as such, the stage partner of some of the most glamorous performers in the business. This, then, is a book about a uniquely gifted musician. It is also a study of a most engaging personality and a fascinatingly complex human being. Anthony Meredith, whose two previous collaborations with co-researcher Paul Harris were the highly praised biographies of Malcolm Arnold and Malcolm Williamson, has been a widely published writer over the past twenty-five years. He is a member of MCC, a Friend of Covent Garden and Northern Ballet. His co-researcher, Paul Harris, is a leading music educationalist, well-known for his seminars, workshops and masterclasses, with over 500 books to his name.

G. Schirmer, Inc. and Associated Music Publishers, Inc. present a biographical sketch of the British composer Richard Rodney Bennett (1936- ). The composer studied at the Royal Academy of Music and has made several recordings with jazz artists. Bennett's works include pieces for solo instruments, symphonies, and operas. Novello & Co. publishes Bennett's music.

The Composer Portraits series offers unique and original monographs on individual composers. Text and music introductions written by experts are combined with carefully chosen selections of newly-engraved music to give a concise but informed overview of the life and work of each composer. This edition focuses on the life and works of the English composer Richard Rodney Bennett, with notes by Anthony Meredith. Songlist: - Eustace And Hilda (Theme) - Excursions - II. Andante lento - Impromptu on the name of Haydn - Little Elegy - Memento - Partridge Pie - VIII. Eight Maids a-Milking - Rosemary's Waltz (from Tender Is The Night) - Tango After Syrinx - Three Romantic Pieces - III. Andante semplice

This is a five-volume series on major contemporary composers and their works for wind band. Included in this initial volume are rare, behind-the-notes perspectives acquired from personal interviews with each composer. An excellent resource for conductors, composers or enthusiasts interested in acquiring a richer musical understanding of the composers' training, compositional approach, musical influences and interpretative ideas. Features the music of: Timothy Broege, Michael Colgrass, Michael Daugherty, David Gillingham, John Harbison, Karel Husa, Alfred Reed and others.

At age twenty-one, while she was working with the legendary Nadia Boulanger in France, concert pianist Carol Rosenberger was stricken with paralytic polio—a condition that knocked out the very muscles she needed in order to play. But Rosenberger refused to give up. Over the next ten years, against all medical advice, she struggled to rebuild her technique and regain her life as a musician—and went on to not only play again, but to receive critical acclaim for her performances and recordings. Beautifully written and deeply inspiring, To Play Again is Rosenberger’s chronicle of making possible the seemingly impossible: overcoming career-ending hardships to perform again.

The Sound of Pictures is an illuminating journey through the soundtracks of more than 400 films. How do filmmakers play with sound? And how does that affect the way we watch their movies? Whether pop or classical, sweeping or sparse, music plays a crucial role in our cinematic experience. Other sounds can be even more evocative: the sounds of na...