Rick Wentworth is a British film and TV composer, conductor, orchestrator and arranger.

Composer

His work in film began with composing the score for ''

Withnail and I ''Withnail and I'' is a 1987 British black comedy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by Richard E. Gran ...

'', directed by Bruce Robinson in 1987, followed by Robinson's second film ''How To Get Ahead in Advertising''. Both were produced by Handmade Films. Wentworth's TV credits include the ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...

'' (series and specials), four seasons of the ITV drama ''

Ultimate Force ''Ultimate Force'' is a British television action drama series that was shown on ITV, which deals with the activities of Red Troop of the SAS (Special Air Service). The first episode was broadcast on 16 September 2002, and a total of four seri ...

'' for Bentley Productions, ''Between the Lines'' and ''Cracker'' for which Wentworth received a BAFTA nomination. He has also written music for many advertising campaigns, including Nissan, Kellogs, American Express, Burger King, American Airlines, Ford and Guinness.

Conducting

In addition to conducting his own work, Wentworth has conducted film scores including ''Tomb Raider'', ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was originally ...

'' (2005) '' Hellboy II'', ''Notorious B.I.G.'', the Oscar-nominated ''

Milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...

'' (2008), '' The Boys Are Back'' (2009), ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'', ''Dark Shadows'' and ''Frankenweenie'' (2012). His string arrangements can be heard on tracks from artists including

The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...

, Blur, Del Amitri and in 2008/09 Musical Direction for the Rough Trade artistes Belle & Sebastian and

Codeine Velvet Club Codeine Velvet Club was a Scottish alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Lou Hickey and Jon Lawler, while Lawler's band The Fratellis were taking a hiatus after their second album '' Here We Stand''. Codeine Velvet Club's sole album, their ...

(2009).

Collaborations

His formative work involved assisting the late composer Sir

Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten ...

bring his opera ''The Ice Break'' to its premier performance at the Royal Opera House. Wentworth has a long association with

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

founding member

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

, and co-produced, orchestrated and conducted the music for his opera, ''Ça Ira''. The opera was recorded in USA and Europe featuring

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', ''Leporello'' and ''D ...

, Paul Groves and Ying Huang. It reached No.1 in the American classical chart, and received Platinum sales in Poland. He conducted the world premiere of the overture from ''Ça Ira'' in 2002, played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall. He also arranged and conducted a collection of Roger Waters's tracks, fronted by Waters and his band. He has since conducted the world premier performance of the opera in Rome followed by performances in Poland, Kiev and at the Manaus Opera House in the Brazilian Rainforest of the Amazon. Ça Ira opened the opera season at the Theatro Municipal in São Paulo in April 2013. All performances were conducted by Rick to sell-out audiences. In August of the same year he conducted Ça Ira which opened the annual Cultural Festival at the Gotaplatsen in Gothenburg and featured an international cast of singers, Sally Matthews,

Bryan Hymel Bryan Hymel (born August 8, 1979) is an American operatic tenor who was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Jesuit High School and Loyola University New Orleans. Early years Bryan Hymel came to the attention of opera ...

, Owen Gradus and

Christian Van Horn Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ (title), Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive ...

including

who acted as narrator to an audience of over ten thousand. Wentworth also orchestrated and conducted the modern opera ''

Giulietta e Romeo ''Giulietta e Romeo'' is a dramma per musica by composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Maria Foppa after the 1530 novella of the same name by Luigi Da Porto and Shakespeare's '' Romeo and Juliet''. The opera ...

'' in 2007 for European composer

Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was b ...

, which had its premiere at the Arena in Verona and has subsequently toured throughout Italy. Other collaborations include writing and producing songs with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, who commissioned him to orchestrate and conduct a personal animated film entitled ''The Light From Within'' (yet to be released). Wentworth also orchestrate arrangements for McCartney's televised appearance at the Nobel Peace Prize presentations. He also collaborated with writer David Levin and wrote six songs for his 2009 musical production ''People'', which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in that year. Wentworth has served on the panel of judges for the British Academy of Film and Television Awards ( BAFTA) and the Royal Television Society Awards (RTS), and is a current serving Board member of the Akram Khan Dance Company.

Credits

Film composer credits

1999 * ''Monsieur Pett'' 1999 * ''The Dybbuk'' 1992 * ''Freddie as F.R.O.7'' 1989 * ''

How to Get Ahead in Advertising ''How to Get Ahead in Advertising'' is a 1989 British black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Richard E. Grant and Rachel Ward. The title is a pun and can be literally taken as "How to Get a ''Head'' in Adv ...

'' 1987 * ''

TV composer credits

2014 * ''

– The Curse of the Bronze Lamp'' * ''

– The Sinner and the Sandman'' * ''

– The Letters of Septimus Noone'' 2013 * ''

– The Clue of the Savant's Thumb'' 2010 * ''

– The Judas Tree (feature-length TV Special)'' 2009 * ''

– The Grinning Man (feature-length TV Special)'' 2007 * ''Robbie The Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind (Comic Relief)'' 2006 * ''Ultimate Force (4 Seasons, 21 Episodes from 2002 – 2006)'' * ''The Good Housekeeping Guide'' * ''Dalziel and Pascoe (5 feature-length episodes from 2004 – 2006)'' 2003/4 * ''

(12 one-hour episodes)'' 2002 * ''D.I.Y. Hard'' * ''Paradise Heights (6 episodes)'' * ''Little Ghosts (48 episodes)'' 2000 * ''The Last Polar Bears'' * ''Blind Ambition'' 1999 * ''The Alchemists (6-hour episodes)'' 1998 * ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

(6-hour episodes)'' 1997 * ''Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America (12 Episodes)'' * ''Cracker – White Ghost (Feature Length TV Special)'' 1996 * ''Cracker (2 Seasons from 1995–1996)'' * ''

The Moonstone ''The Moonstone'' (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. The story was serialised in Charles Di ...

'' * ''

The Writing On The Wall "The writing on the wall" is an idiomatic expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune, based on the story of Belshazzar's feast in the book of Daniel. The Writing on the Wall, The Writing's on the Wall or similar titles may also refer ...

(4 Feature Length Episodes)'' 1995 * ''Rules of Engagement'' 1993 * ''Between The Lines (13 hour episodes)'' 1992 * ''Sam Saturday (6 hour episodes)'' 1991 * ''Sleepers (4 hour episodes)'' * ''White Goods (4 hour episodes)'' * ''Work!''

Musical/opera credits

2010 * ''Bet Your Bottom Dollar'' 2009 * ''People'' 2007 * ''

'' 2004 *
Ca Ira
'

Conductor/Musical Director credits

2014 * ''Big Eyes'' * '' Roger Waters: The Wall'' 2013 * ''Peabody and Sherman'' 2012 * ''Hitchcock'' * ''Promised Land'' * ''Dark Shadows'' * ''Frankenweenie'' 2010 * ''Alice in Wonderland'' 2009 * '' The Boys Are Back'' * ''

Terminator Salvation ''Terminator Salvation'' is a 2009 American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the ''Terminator'' franchise and serves as a sequel to '' Termin ...

'' * ''Notorious'' * ''Monsieur Pett'' 2008 * ''

'' * ''The Duchess'' * ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' * ''Journal of a Contract Killer'' 2005

Orchestrator/arranger credits

2014 * ''Roger Waters: The Wall'' 2007 * ''Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind'' 2005 * ''Goal!'' 2001 * ''Rat Race'' * ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' 2000 * ''Love's Labours Lost'' 1996 * ''All Dogs Go To Heaven 2'' 1990 * ''

Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...

'' 1989 * ''How To Get Ahead in Advertising'' 1988 * ''The Adventures of Baron Münchausen'' 1982 *''Fourscore'' The Channel 4 Theme (composer David Dundas)

Notes

External links

*
Rick Wentworth on TwitterHotHouse Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, Rick English composers English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Living people 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)