Jeff Dunn <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> There really was a boomlet of "piano concertos" written
> expressly for films in the 40s and through the 50s, perhaps
> spurred by the success of the Warsaw Concerto.  Here are a
> few, and I'm sure Karl and others can list dozens more:
> 
> Spellbound Concerto (Rozsa)
> The Glass Mountain (Rota)
> The Apartment (Deutsch)
> Dream of Olwen (C. Williams)
> Cornish Rhapsody (Bath)

I have a few more to add:

Swedish Rhapsody (Wildman)
Piano Concerto "Night Song" (Stevens)
Piano Concerto "Phantom of the Opera"-1943 (Ward)
Concerto Macabre (Herrmann)
Rhapsody for 4 girls in town (North)

The Steven's piece was performed by the Ormandy and Rubinstein with the
NY Phil.  The work circulated in that performance on a lacquer disc. I
have a dub of that performance.  The North composition is used throughout
the film, but not complete...a concert performance is not integral to
film.

There is also the Gershwin "New York Rhapsody." It was originally music
to accompany a dream sequence in the film Delicious.  You see the female
lead getting lost in the "big city" while the music plays.  Gershwin
later expanded on the piece and it became his Second Rhapsody.

There is a fine CD on Elan which features several of the above mentioned
works (CD 82268).  The pianist is Santiago Rodriguez.

There are also other works that come from films, things like Steiner's
Symphonie Modern.  One of my favorites is a short orchestral work by
Lionel Barrymore, his Danse Russe, featured in the film "Dr.  Kildare's
Wedding Day." And on the subject of Barrymore, he was a decent composer.
I have recordings of several works of his, played by some major orchestras
like the NY Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, etc.

Then there are things like the opera scene Oscar Levant wrote for the
film "Charlie Chan at the opera."

For a time I thought it odd that nobody picked up on the idea of recording
the music of Lionel Barrymore...but then...these days, who remembers
him...

And in closing...my "favorite" redition of the Warsaw Concerto should
be mentioned, as recorded by Fred Waring and his chorus...

Karl

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