Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Photo Credit: Music Sales

It is particularly sad to hear of the death, peacefully, in New York, on Christmas Eve, of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett at the age of 76. We lose a unique figure in British music, in whose work so many strands of music peacefully co-exist.  There are several appreciations in Charlotte Higgins’ report in the Guardian. There is a great article about his film score for the 1967 film Billion Dollar Brain which gets to the essence of his achievement HERE. We reviewed the fabulous, remarkable closing concert of his 75th birthday celebration in 2011. And there, always, unobtrusively, was what Chris Parker described  – in this review of Witchcraft with Claire Martin –  described as his “flawlessly eloquent piano playing.” In sadness.