Richard Rodney Bennett: Songs Before Sleep

Bennett, R R: A Garland for Marjory Fleming Sophie Daneman (soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano) Songs before Sleep Roderick Williams (baritone) & Iain Burnside (piano) A History of the Thé Dansant Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano) Dream-Songs Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano) Tom O’Bedlam’s Song Benjamin Hulett (tenor) & Oliver Coates (cello) this is the garden Sophie Daneman (soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano) Voyage Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano) A Song at Evening Sophie Daneman (soprano) & Iain Burnside (piano)

Gramophone Awards finlast 2011 - Solo Vocal Recording
Bennett is renowned for his film scores and his jazz performance as much as for his challenging concert works. His film music includes scores for Far from the Madding Crowd, Murder on the Orient Express and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Richard Rodney Bennett has long had a private passion for making collages (and knitting!) and the cover image on this CD is one of his creations, currently displayed at an exhibition of his work in Chelsea. Born in Broadstairs, Kent, in 1936, he has lived in New York City since 1979. Richard Rodney Bennett received a CBE in 1977, and was knighted in 1998. Bennett studied with Pierre Boulez in Paris. This new recording spans five decades of Bennett’s song-writing, cherry-picking some of his most accessible and lyrical pieces, from the melodic Songs Before Sleep, performed by Roderick Williams, to the 1920s dance rhythms of A History of the Thé Dansant, the dramatic and rarely-performed Tom O'Bedlam's Song for tenor and cello (written for Peter Pears) and the enchanting A Garland for Marjory Fleming. A wonderful recording, stunningly performed by a collection of internationally acclaimed soloists.

Price: $26.98