Miklós Rózsa (1907-1995) was a Hungarian-born composer who became one of the great figures of film music while maintaining a serious concert catalogue. Born in Budapest, he studied in Leipzig before settling in Britain and then the United States.

His film scores include Spellbound, Double Indemnity, Ben-Hur, El Cid and many others. He also wrote concertos, chamber music and orchestral works.

Rózsa’s music is richly melodic, rhythmically strong and often coloured by Hungarian inflection. His film writing combines dramatic immediacy with the craft of a concert composer.

Although cinema made his name famous, his best music crosses the border between screen and concert hall with ease. Rózsa had the rare gift of making grandeur sound personal.