April 2005 saw the CD release of Incognito and Four Suites, two orchestral scores by Adrian Munsey, the film and television producer and managing director of Infinity Media. Requiem, Adrian's second CD album release comes out in October 2008. The singles of Requiem and Faraway Place were released in 2007. Music, both classical and popular, has always been an important part of Adrian Munsey's life.
Music, both classical and popular, has always been an important part of Adrian Munsey's life. A history scholar at King's College, Cambridge and graduate of the Royal College of Art, his career has included being an academic, putting on Elton John's first paid gig, releasing over 500 films, starting the two SKY television True Movies channels and making two feature films and 32 TV documentaries.
Despite spending most of his career in the film and video industry, he has continued composing. "A growing sense that time was running out led me to re-evaluate the direction of my life," says Munsey. "At the advanced age of sixty-one I am beginning to feel that I have achieved something that can truly be transmitted to others."
The arranger John Bell (who died last year) also provided the original vital inspiration. He encouraged Munsey to develop his natural instinct for multiple time signatures and temporal freedom. Bell arranged the 16 tracks of Four Suites for small orchestra. The 10 tracks on Incognito were arranged by Geoff Alexander, whom Munsey met through his business relationship with Merchant Ivory Productions (Alexander has arranged Richard Robbins' music for many Merchant Ivory films). Geoff orchestrated Requiem and was instrumental in getting Janice Graham to play it. Subsequently the English Sinfonia, led by Janice, has performed Requiem many times., On the new Requiem album Adrian has also worked with Paul Bateman, Nic Raine, Elin Manahan Thomas, Keedie and the Treorchy Male Choir.
Classic FM described Munsey's music as "unashamedly melodic and heart-warmingly nostalgic, capturing the emotions stirred by visual imagery". 'Incognito' and 'Forgotten' (tracks 5 and 7 from Incognito), for example, were inspired by images of the islands of Harris and Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, which also form the basis of the videos released to accompany the CD. Further videos have followed including The Sky Inside, which was shot in Northumberland, and which accompanies the new Requiem album.