Christopher Gunning (born 5 August 1944) is an English composer of concert works and music for films and television. Gunning was born in Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. He studied at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

where his tutors included

Edmund Rubbra Edmund Rubbra (; 23 May 190114 February 1986) was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was greatly esteemed by fellow musicians and was at the peak o ...

and

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.Zachary Woo ...

. Gunning's film and TV compositions have received many awards, including the 2007

BAFTA Award for Best Film Music This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music, formerly known as the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music, which is presented to film composers, given out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts si ...

for '' La Vie en Rose'', as well as three additional awards for ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

'', ''

Middlemarch ''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by the English author Mary Anne Evans, who wrote as George Eliot. It first appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, ...

'', and ''

Porterhouse Blue ''Porterhouse Blue'' is a novel written by Tom Sharpe, first published in 1974. A satirical look at Cambridge life and the struggle between tradition and reform, ''Porterhouse Blue'' tells the story of Skullion, the Head Porter of Porterhouse, ...

''. He has also won three ''

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

'', for the TV miniseries '' Rebecca'', and the film scores for '' Under Suspicion'' (1991), and ''

Firelight ''Firelight'' is a 1997 period romance film written and directed by William Nicholson and starring Sophie Marceau and Stephen Dillane. Written by William Nicholson, the film is about a woman who agrees to bear the child of an anonymous English ...

'' (1997). His other film scores include ''

Goodbye Gemini ''Goodbye Gemini'' (also released as ''Twinsanity'') is a 1970 British psychological horror film directed by Alan Gibson and starring Judy Geeson, Michael Redgrave, and Martin Potter. Based on the novel ''Ask Agamemnon'' by Jenni Hall, it conce ...

'' (1970), ''

Hands of the Ripper ''Hands of the Ripper'' is a 1971 British horror film, directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions. It was written by L. W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew, and produced by Aida Young. The film was released in the U.S. as a ...

'' (1971), '' Ooh... You Are Awful'' (1972), the film version of ''

Man About the House ''Man About the House'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 A ...

'' (1974), '' In Celebration'' (1975), '' Rogue Male'' (1976), ''

Charlie Muffin ''Charlie Muffin'' is a 1979 made-for-TV film based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Brian Freemantle. In the U.S., the picture was later re-released under the title ''A Deadly Game''. A Euston Films production, the movie features Da ...

'' (1979), ''

Rise and Fall of Idi Amin ''Rise and Fall of Idi Amin'', also known as ''Amin: The Rise and Fall'', is a 1981 biographical film directed by Sharad Patel and starring Joseph Olita as Idi Amin. Olita also played Amin in the 1991 film '' Mississippi Masala''. Plot It det ...

'' (1981), ''

Knights of God ''Knights of God'' is a British science fiction children's television serial, produced by TVS and first broadcast on ITV in 1987. It was written by Richard Cooper, a writer who had previously worked in both children's and adult television dr ...

'' (1987), ''

When the Whales Came ''When the Whales Came'' is a 1989 British drama film directed by Clive Rees and starring Helen Mirren, Paul Scofield, David Suchet, Barbara Jefford, David Threlfall, John Hallam, Barbara Ewing, and Jeremy Kemp. It is based on the 1985 children ...

'' (1989), '' Lighthouse Hill'' (2004) and '' Grace of Monaco'' (2014). In the 1970s and 1980s, Gunning collaborated with rock musician

Colin Blunstone Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the English rock band the Zombies, wh ...

and was responsible for the distinctive string arrangement on Blunstone's 1972 hit "

Say You Don't Mind "Say You Don't Mind" is a song written and originally recorded by English musician Denny Laine. It was a top 20 hit for Colin Blunstone in 1972. History Laine wrote the song in 1967 after he had quit The Moody Blues and was forming the Electric ...

". He also provided the haunting string arrangements on " Won't Somebody Dance With Me", the Ivor Novello award-winning song written and performed by Lynsey De Paul as well as another of de Paul's hit singles "

My Man and Me "My Man and Me" is a song written, recorded and produced by the British female singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul for her second album, '' Taste Me... Don't Waste Me'', and released as a single backed with de Paul's smoochy version of "Dancing on a ...

" and her 1974 album " Taste Me... Don't Waste Me". Gunning's scores for ''The Big Battalions'', ''

Wild Africa Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

'', ''

Cold Lazarus ''Cold Lazarus'' is a four-part British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying of pancreatic cancer. It forms the second half of a pair with the television serial ''Karaoke''. The two serials were filmed ...

'' and ''When the Whales Came'' also received nominations for BAFTA and Ivor Novello Awards, and his music for the

Martini Martini may refer to: * Martini (cocktail) * Martini (vermouth), a brand of vermouth * Martini (surname), an Italian surname * Martini (automobile company), a Swiss automobile company * Automobiles Martini, a French manufacturer of racing cars * M ...

advertising campaign, heard around the world for thirty years, won three Clio Awards. Gunning composed the music for nearly all of the ''Poirot'' TV films starring David Suchet, and worked on all three series of '' Rosemary and Thyme'' featuring

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, but the role that brought attention to her ...

and

Pam Ferris Pamela Ferris (born 11 May 1948) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in numerous British television series, including ''Connie'' (1985), '' The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993), '' Where the Heart Is'' (1997–2000), ''Rosemary & Thyme'' ...

. In addition to performances of his television and film scores, Gunning's ''Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra'' and ''The Lobster'' have been performed at various venues including

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's Southbank Centre. ''The Saxophone Concerto'', played by

John Harle John Harle (born 20 September 1956) is an English saxophonist, composer, educator and record producer. He is an Ivor Novello Award winner and has been the recipient of two Royal Television Society awards. Biography Harle was born in Newcastl ...

with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, has been released by Sanctuary Classics, ''The Lobster'' is available on the Meridian label, and the ''Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 1'' and ''Storm'' have been released by

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record labe ...

. Recent works include concertos for the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

and clarinet and the CD ''Skylines''. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the premiere of Symphonies No.3 and No.4, coupled with Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra. This has been released by Chandos Records. Gunning has now completed twelve symphonies, several of which have been recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer and released on Signum Classics. In recognition of Gunning's contribution to music, he received a

BASCA The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

Gold Badge Award on 19 October 2011. Gunning has four daughters and lives in Hertfordshire. One of his daughters is a professional oboist. Another runs the travel blog wanderlustchloe.com.

References

External links

*
Chandos Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunning, Christopher 1944 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century British male musicians British classical composers British male classical composers British television composers English film score composers English male film score composers Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Best Original Music BAFTA Award winners People from Cheltenham