Warsaw Concerto: Which Version Do You Prefer ?

[GaryAlan]

So, I was listening to the Warsaw Concerto off of the Live At The Palladium (cd).
In any event, I really was struck by the majesty of Richard's performance.
Then, of course, I started listening to other iterations: Boston Pops (1974) and
Amsterdam Concert (1976). There may be more !
But, that is (at least) three performances (1974 and two in 1976).
Well, I enjoy classical pieces, and I enjoy Richard's performance of Warsaw Concerto.
I have not decided which performance I prefer,
how about some input ?

 

[Shalom Bresticker]

I remember seeing the Boston Pops appearance on television. I even recorded it from the television on cassette tape.
I think my parents had seen or heard word about it in advance and told me so that I could see it.

 

[Geographer]

So, I was listening to the Warsaw Concerto off of the Live At The Palladium (cd).
In any event, I really was struck by the majesty of Richard's performance.
Then, of course, I started listening to other iterations: Boston Pops (1974) and
Amsterdam Concert (1976). There may be more !
But, that is (at least) three performances (1974 and two in 1976).
Well, I enjoy classical pieces, and I enjoy Richard's performance of Warsaw Concerto.
I have not decided which performance I prefer,
how about some input ?

The Live At The Palladium is always my "go to." The other performances I have on VHS which I never watch anymore! But perhaps I can revisit them via YouTube?

 

[Carpe diem]

BBC New London Theater appearance 1976 is another one. Not a big fan of the Warsaw Concerto as it applies to Carpenters performances. They always had that rap about their stage appearances being lifeless and boring. This musical interlude confirms that opinion IMHO. I understand that Richard was/is a great pianist, but I don't believe a Carpenters concert was a good avenue to perform a very long (8+ minutes for the Boston Pops performance) classical music piece. For me, that's a long time not to have Karen gracing the stage.

 

[Mark-T]

I'd rather have had Richard perform Slaughter on 10th Avenue. It masterfully shows off his skill, is much more "fun" a listen, and with a bit of dialogue /interlude, it could have given Karen just as much of a break for a wardrobe change. (Come to think of it, I'd LOVE to have a studio version of this!)

 

[Geographer]

I'd rather have had Richard perform Slaughter on 10th Avenue. It masterfully shows off his skill, is much more "fun" a listen, and with a bit of dialogue /interlude, it could have given Karen just as much of a break for a wardrobe change. (Come to think of it, I'd LOVE to have a studio version of this!)

I absolutely agree and thought the same thing!

 

[GaryAlan]

In the 1974 Rolling Stone feature article, Richard says this....
"And yet . . . I can’t complain. This is what we worked for. It’s all stuff I want to do.
I want to play the Warsaw Concerto with the Boston Pops.
I want to record a new album. I love to go out and perform."

That is one of the reasons I chose this thread title. I could have chosen another song,
say, From This Moment On, another which was also performed in concert, and elsewhere (TV).
There are not too many songs, performed in different ways, and different times,
which feature Richard Carpenter.

I also felt it was timely, as the new RPO album highlights Richard's skills in other ways.
It is interesting--from an historical perspective of the duo--to compare chronologically
how Richard Carpenter has presented himself throughout the entire (60's-2018) career
of the duo.

 

[newvillefan]

I don’t really like the piece to begin with, it’s dull to listen to and to include it in a Carpenters concert always felt out of place and came across to me as bombastic and self indulgent. I’d much rather watch Richard performing more entertaining numbers like Dizzy Fingers.

 

[GaryAlan]

I, for one, love classical pieces, so Warsaw Concerto is not dull to me.
I also like Richard's performance of Dizzy Fingers.
As Dizzy Fingers only has that one Television performance (MMM 1980),
it was not a candidate for a "various performance versions" by Richard.

 

[byline]

I'd rather have had Richard perform Slaughter on 10th Avenue. It masterfully shows off his skill, is much more "fun" a listen, and with a bit of dialogue /interlude, it could have given Karen just as much of a break for a wardrobe change. (Come to think of it, I'd LOVE to have a studio version of this!)

I love this idea! Or Rhapsody in Blue. It's similarly entertaining and relatively short, but technically challenging and very much a showcase for a gifted pianist.

Or even Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (which I believe the Warsaw Concerto may have been modeled after).