Warsaw Concerto

[ClassicalMusicLover]

Today I wanted to share with you the Warsaw Concerto, a piano concerto in one movement written by British composer Richard Addinsell for the 1941 film Dangerous Moonlight.

http://myfavoriteclassical.com/warsaw-concerto/

[Monsieur Croche]

The piece has a rather singular (at the time) history of how it came about...

"The concerto is written in imitation of the style of Sergei Rachmaninoff. It initiated a trend for similar short piano concertos in the Romantic style, which have been dubbed "tabloid concertos"

"The concerto was not part of the original plan. According to Roy Douglas, at that time orchestrator for all of Addinsell's scores: "The film's director had originally wanted to use Sergei Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto, but this idea was either forbidden by the copyright owners or was far too expensive".[3] Thus Addinsell wanted the piece to sound as much like Rachmaninoff as possible, and Douglas remembers, "while I was orchestrating the Warsaw Concerto I had around me the miniature scores of the Second and Third Piano Concertos, as well as the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."[3] And although it is at the heart of Dangerous Moonlight, the Concerto is never performed complete but rather revealed piecemeal. The opening of the work is heard when the two protagonists meet, and it is further developed when they are on their honeymoon. Finally, in the only extended concert sequence, we are given the closing section. But its use is not restricted to scenes with the "composer" at the piano. The themes are found as underscoring throughout the film, and in this way a brief concert piece gains a dramatic resonance that belies its small scale."

"Within the context of its story, Dangerous Moonlight is also effective in creating the impression of a larger work written and performed by the film's fictional composer and pianist. When snatches of the Concerto are first played, one character tells another, "I've got the records", and when the "premiere" is shown, we are provided with a close-up of the program, Warsaw Concerto, with three movements listed. Only one movement was actually written by Addinsell."

"The success of the film led to an immediate demand for the work, and a recording was dutifully supplied from the film's soundtrack (at nine minutes, it fit perfectly on two sides of a 12-inch disk playing at 78 rpm) along with sheet music for a piano solo version." ~ Wikipedia

Film composers are quite frequently asked/required to write 'in the style of,' either a near direct imitation of a piece or something in a more generic manner.  As per the requirement, Addinsell most certainly delivered!

[listener]

Vancouver had the pleasure recently of hearing it live (VSO) on a program with Walton's score for Henry V (with narrator)
and pieces by John Weinzweig, Elizabeth Maconchy to round out the program

[kishnevi]

I have this CD, which contains several "written for the film" works.  The liner notes explain their dramatic place in each film.
[asin]B0000060DC[/asin]
This one looks similar, aside from the Gershwin
[asin]B000EHQ50S[/asin]
There are also three CDs devoted to Addinsell's film music, one each on Chandos, ASV, and Marco Polo.  Warsaw Concerto is included on the Vhandos and ASV but not the Marco Polo. (I haven't heard any of them.)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

It seems rare for pastiche to be taken so seriously, but in the case of film music I guess pastiche could be perfectly viable.....

[PerfectWagnerite]

The epitome of cheesiness, like Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini combined with a Chopin Nocturne.

[aleazk]

It's a piece of shi...  excreted digested food.  0:)