You've heard his work more times than you realize, but Robert Russell Bennett isn't exactly a familiar name to most people. This American composer, orchestrator and conductor was born on June 15, 1894. While his wind ensemble compositions are his most performed works, he is perhaps better known as the orchestrator of more than 300 Broadway musicals. The Mudd has recordings of the following RRB-orchestrated shows:
Show Boat (music by Jerome Kern)
Carmen Jones (version of Bizet's Carmen)
Annie Get your Gun (music by Irving Berlin)
Kiss Me, Kate (music by Cole Porter)
South Pacific (music by Richard Rodgers)
Bells are Ringing (music by Jule Styne)
Camelot and My Fair Lady (music by Frederick Loewe)