Warming up before performance

[blaob2000]

Yesterday i was invited to one of your relative home and there was a piano there. They asked me to play a piece I know, and here was our fatal decision of the night: Chopin Fantaisie Impromptu. Normally, with warming up(scales,etc) I would play it fairly ok, but without some exercises, I am more likely to fail miserably. I performed poorly that night despite the fact that everyone gave me applause. I know that I can do better, so here's my question: Is there anyway to warmup and STILL excite listener? 

[dogperson]

We all find ourselves in a situation where we are playing without warming up... whether it be for friends, for church, a hotel lobby, or for other pianists.   WHAT you choose to play is crucial:  it cannot be something you play 'ok' but something you play 'very well' without warming up.  Your choice should not be at the top of your repertoire but at the top of your comfort level.

I cannot think of a way that warm-ups would be pleasing to an instant audience.

[visitor]

The best solution i found for me and my skill level with pieces played and situation is to practice being able to play without warm at all.

I gave up warming up or having a need and desire to "play" before playing.  You  will not always  have the luxury of playing warm up and palying through a work before a performance as you found out.

I changed my practice approach so when i go in to practice and begin playing i meediately begin playing   and do not do a warm up. I routinley make it a point at random times of the day between tasks to pop in at piano, play through, and leave.

Same with my piano lesson i go and i sit and i play, sometimes my teacher offers to let me warm up if i
like, i decline.

It doesnt always go well but that is the point, mess up while and where it is safer to.

There have been countless recital, jury, johnny on the hot spot performance opportunities, venue outside or with blasting AC or no Heater etc  where i maybe waited 40 to 50 minutes for my turn to play or like with my lesson where i drive > 1 hour one way to reach my professor studio, warm up is unrealistic expectation.
I found over time less and less reliance on it and my playing from "cold" got way Way WAY better so now its almost no sweat to play cold. I am still working to imorove this.

It is also a function of your prep and how well you know the work, the more solidly learned the less warm up needed.

If you always practice by doing a warm up, you will almost all but certainly need a warm up, you have conditioned your nervous system and psyche to rely on that.

It is not easy but it is a soft skill worth developing.

Then it is also good to have a pretty and soft very short work in your back pocket for those rare lovely instances you have the freedom to play more than what you planned on

 Occassoonally if you have to play on a instrument dramatically different than what you normally sit at, it can help to play the work not as a warm up but to get a quick feel for action, pedal, voicing, volume etc of the piano, info you need in order to make all sorts of tiny addjustments. The skill should eventually be developed you can do it cold in first few notes of your performance work, but it helps to have a "prelude" ready for when that is an option given to you.

[pianinha]

I agree with previous suggestions.

Choose wisely your repertoire that can be your warm up in a recital. And yes always play the difficult pieces all of a sudden, unexpected moments ( for example in the middle of a movie break) and then go for a walk and come back. The last method will build up your stamina, your endurance and will make your find out your weakest points ( you would be surprised how much your memory fails in these moments). So you can target these weakest points so you wont be surprised at all in a recital.