Today is the birthday of Richard Addinsell (1904-1977). Here is his world-famous “Warsaw Concerto,” composed for the 1941 film “Dangerous Moonlight” (known in the U.S. by the more lurid title, “Suicide Squadron”).
The “Warsaw Concerto” was not the first spin-off concerto from the movies, but the record sold like hotcakes, sparking an unlikely rage for cinematic concerti.
The performance is by the great Hungarian-born British pianist Louis Kentner, who is the pianist who performs the theme music each week to my radio program, “The Lost Chord” (in that case, the “Berceuse” from the Transcendental Etudes of Sergei Lyapunov).
I should mention, Kentner insisted on not receiving credit in the film, since he was afraid it would damage his integrity as a concert pianist. He was less inhibited when the record sold in the millions!
I have plenty more I’d like to share about the “Warsaw Concerto” and the subgenre of the cinematic concerto, but I need to get started with my day. Hopefully I’ll have time to get back to it later on.