May 15, 2020

20,000 vinyl LP 223: Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You

~           
Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP front cover detail 
front cover design by Monogram
detail photo by Styrous®


Liberace played mostly pop tunes, ballads, easy listening kind of stuff (except that term hadn't been invented yet) so this album shows another side of his musical ability. Concertos for You is a 10" vinyl LP that has four "light" classic compositions with Paul Weston providing the orchestral backing. Weston had a formidable music career of his own (link below).

Liberace had a flare for extravagant costumes when performing that gave him a reputation for glitz, glitter and dazzle but he played a mean piano (link below).      


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP front cover detail
front cover design by Monogram
detail photo by Styrous®


The front cover design by Monogram is a "combine" by American artist Robert Rauschenberg. He created a series of combines between 1954 and 1964, where he merged different aspects of painting and sculpture to create a new artistic category.     


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP front cover 
front cover design by Monogram
detail photo by Styrous®



The Music

(links below at bottom of page to all music on YouTube)


Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell was written for the 1944 British film, Dangerous Moonlight. When  the film was distributed in the US the title was changed to Suicide Squadron and that's the title that appears on the album.     
     
The Warsaw Concerto is my all-time "Pop Classic" favorite; it is the pinnacle of the heap. It is alternately lush, romantic and beautiful then immense, heavy and intensely dramatic! It was the perfect vehicle for Liberace!    

Link to the original performance from the album by Liberace on YouTube link: Warsaw Concerto         

There are wonderful performances of the Concerto on YouTube (links below). It's pretty interesting to hear the variations of each version.        
           

Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP back cover 
photo by Styrous®


The Cornish Rhapsody by Hubert Bath was written for the 1944 British film, Love Story, which was  based on a short story by J. W. Drawbell, the film is about a concert pianist who, after learning that she is dying of heart failure, decides to spend her last days in Cornwall. While there, she meets a former RAF pilot who is going blind, and soon a romantic attraction forms. I know, schmaltzy but after all it was the forties and during the war.    

The film was released in the United States as A Lady Surrenders, this wartime melodrama produced by Gainsborough Pictures was filmed on location at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno in CornwallSouth West England.          
      
The Rhapsody sounds suspiciously like the Concerto but, of course, with variations. The film of the Liberace performance of this work on YouTube is perfect for seeing his piano and hand movement style which is really amazing (link below).      


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Liberace performs the Concerto in A Minor by Grieg with grand flourishes, of course, and they are something to behold! The first movement (link below) is moderately fast, sweeps in and out and is another perfect vehicle for him.        


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


The Fantasy-Impromptu in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 by Frédéric Chopin is another perfect work for Liberace. It was composed in 1834 but not published until after Chopin's death. The theme was used for the song, I'm Always Chasing Rainbows which is credited to Harry Carroll and was popular during the Vaudeville era then again in the forties.         


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP, side 1
photo by Styrous®


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP label, side 1
photo by Styrous®


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP, side 2
photo by Styrous®


Liberace & Paul Weston ~ Concertos for You
10" vinyl LP label, side 2
photo by Styrous®


Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Warsaw Concerto, written by Richard Addinsell - 5:57
   
A2  - Rachmaninoff Fantasia, written by Sergei Rachmaninoff*  - 6:17

Side 2:

B1 - Grieg's Piano Concerto, written by Edvard Grieg - 6:12
   
B2 - Chopin Fantasia, written by Frederic Chopin* - 6:10   

Credits:

    Design – Monogram (2)
    Arranged By – Gordon Robinson (tracks: A1), Liberace (tracks: A2 to B2)
    Conductor – Paul Weston (2)
    Piano – Liberace

Liberace And Paul Weston (2) ‎– Concertos For You
Label: Columbia ‎– CL 6269
Series: 5th Anniversary Special –
Format: Vinyl, LP, 10"
Country: US
Released: July, 1953
Genre: Classical
       
        
Viewfinder links:

Liberace         
Korla Pandit     
Robert Rauschenberg       
Paul Weston        
       
YouTube links:
        
Liberace ~  
     Warsaw Concerto (5:55)       
     Cornish Rhapsody
     Grieg ~ Concerto in A Minor               
     Chopin ~ Fantasia
     Chopin Medley       
BBC Proms & Lisitsa Lockhart ~ Addinsell Warsaw Concerto (10:15)     
        




 
Liberace - 1968
photo by Allan Warren

"Why don't I just step out 
and slip into something more spectacular?"
                ~ Liberace


Happy birthday, Liberace, King of Bling

       
Styrous® ~ Friday, May 15, 2020       


























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