Have you ever thought that being a piano soloist with one arm was impossible? Well for one determined young man, it became a dream.
The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a testament not only to Ravel's brilliance, but also to the indomitable will of the man who commissioned it.
Back before World War I, a concert pianist by the name of Paul Wittgenstein was trying to make his mark in the world. After being drafted, he sadly lost his right arm throughout the fighting. However, Wittgenstein didn't believe his concert piano career was over as a result.
Determined to succeed, he began practicing with his remaining hand to improve his left-handed technique. He tried to arrange two-handed works to accommodate his one-handed state. In the late'20's Wittgenstein decided to approach leading piano composers of his day and commission works written intentionally for the left hand alone.
Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, and Benjamin Britten were among the illustrious composers who answered Wittgenstein's call. And so did Maurice Ravel.
One of the biggest issues Ravel had in the beginning was that he never wrote a concerto, even though he had written several piano solos. When Wittgenstein approached him, he had already started working on Concerto in G, but it was intended for a two-handed player. During this time he was at a stalemate, and so he decided to take Wittgenstein up on his challenge. During Ravel's research of left-handed Etudes of Camille Saint-Saens, he began to believe his left-handed Concerto would be a noteworthy addition to piano repertoire.
And so it proved to be. Such is Ravel's craftsmanship that it is not at all obvious to a listener, that the piano part is written for just one hand. It is a dense, emotionally deep work which portrays the struggle of the one-armed pianist to overcome his tragic injury, and reinvent himself.
Many experts agree that this piece allowed for 3 sections that were unlike other concerti. The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was set up with a Slow-Fast-Slow movement, as opposed to Fast-Slow-Fast.
Truth be told, Wittgenstein was famously known for being hard to please. Richard Wagner offered work as well, but Wittgenstein complained about the orchestration being too powerful for a single-handed pianist. Then of course when Prokofiev offered his work, Wittgenstein wouldn't even play it.
Even with the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Wittgenstein complained about the long solo cadenza right after the opening. During one instance he even told Ravel; "If I had wanted a solo piece, I wouldn't have commissioned a concerto." However, Ravel stood his ground, and over time, Wittgenstein began to like it.
In the end, the Concerto for the Left Hand was a true testament to the indomitable human spirit. - 30455
The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a testament not only to Ravel's brilliance, but also to the indomitable will of the man who commissioned it.
Back before World War I, a concert pianist by the name of Paul Wittgenstein was trying to make his mark in the world. After being drafted, he sadly lost his right arm throughout the fighting. However, Wittgenstein didn't believe his concert piano career was over as a result.
Determined to succeed, he began practicing with his remaining hand to improve his left-handed technique. He tried to arrange two-handed works to accommodate his one-handed state. In the late'20's Wittgenstein decided to approach leading piano composers of his day and commission works written intentionally for the left hand alone.
Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, and Benjamin Britten were among the illustrious composers who answered Wittgenstein's call. And so did Maurice Ravel.
One of the biggest issues Ravel had in the beginning was that he never wrote a concerto, even though he had written several piano solos. When Wittgenstein approached him, he had already started working on Concerto in G, but it was intended for a two-handed player. During this time he was at a stalemate, and so he decided to take Wittgenstein up on his challenge. During Ravel's research of left-handed Etudes of Camille Saint-Saens, he began to believe his left-handed Concerto would be a noteworthy addition to piano repertoire.
And so it proved to be. Such is Ravel's craftsmanship that it is not at all obvious to a listener, that the piano part is written for just one hand. It is a dense, emotionally deep work which portrays the struggle of the one-armed pianist to overcome his tragic injury, and reinvent himself.
Many experts agree that this piece allowed for 3 sections that were unlike other concerti. The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was set up with a Slow-Fast-Slow movement, as opposed to Fast-Slow-Fast.
Truth be told, Wittgenstein was famously known for being hard to please. Richard Wagner offered work as well, but Wittgenstein complained about the orchestration being too powerful for a single-handed pianist. Then of course when Prokofiev offered his work, Wittgenstein wouldn't even play it.
Even with the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Wittgenstein complained about the long solo cadenza right after the opening. During one instance he even told Ravel; "If I had wanted a solo piece, I wouldn't have commissioned a concerto." However, Ravel stood his ground, and over time, Wittgenstein began to like it.
In the end, the Concerto for the Left Hand was a true testament to the indomitable human spirit. - 30455
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