Delos Diary

Lurking in the depths of the Delos catalog are two CDs highlighting the works, the pianism and the singing voice of distinguished British composer and musician, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. These recordings date back to 1990 when sir Richard — not yet a "Sir" — was also 15 years younger. At that time Bennett recorded an album for Delos here in Los Angeles entitled I Never Went Away (DE 5001). It featured 15 popular songs, mostly classic standards. In his own inimitable vocal style, Bennett sings each number accompanying himself on the piano in a manner comparable to the best cabaret artists of the time — in fact, superior to most.
Anyone old enough to remember and still love the great songs of the mid-20th century should make an effort to look up this recording. Younger listeners too might be surprised to find that such tunes ever existed — tender, witty, touching, sentimental, literate, and melodic.
Meanwhile Bennett's career has flourished, with movie scores and more recently a commission from Charles, Prince of Wales, for a piece commemorating the late Queen Mother, plus the issuance of a new multi-volume CD set of all Bennett's works for piano.
Two of these, Partridge Pie and Suite for Skip and Sadie can already be found on Delos' My Keyboard Friends (DE 6002). As an additional surprise, Carol Rosenberger's solo album Singing on the Water – Piano Barcarolles (DE 3172) contains a "smoky and sensuous" barcarolle written for and dedicated to Carol by the composer, Richard Rodney Bennett, himself.