Murder on the Orient Express

Composer: BENNETT, Sir Richard Rodney
  • Bennett composed the film score for the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express, written by Agatha Christie and directed by Sidney Lumet.
    • Fun fact – Bennett won a BAFTA for Best Original Music for the film.
  • Bennett noted the following about his experience writing for the film:
    • “Stephen Sondheim recommended me, and as soon as I saw the rushes I told Sidney [Lumet] that no one in their right mind was going to be scared out their wits by Agatha Christie. This wasn’t a thriller. It was an elegant and glamorous entertainment, and that is what the score should reflect.”1
  • Key moments from the film score were later adapted into a concise concert suite for the concert hall; including the famous waltz.

Sources

  1. Nicholas Wroe, “A life in music: Richard Rodney Bennett,” The Guardian (2011), accessed February 18, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jul/22/richard-rodney-bennett-life-music-film.

Cut IDs

26100 21144 21074