Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto for the Left Hand

By Michelle Edward

Have you ever thought that being a piano soloist with one arm was impossible? Well for one determined young man, it became a dream.

All you have to do is see the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel. It is a true testament to his brilliance, and will as man to do what he loves best.

Paul Wittgenstein was a concert pianist who had launched his career in the year before World War I broke out. Sadly, he lost his right arm during the fighting. After the war, Wittgenstein was not willing to admit that his dream of a concert piano career was over.

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.

Many felt this would not be feasible, but he eventually came across Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, Benjamin Britten, and Maurice Ravel who believed it was possible.

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.

The meaning behind his eventual completion was about the struggles of a one-armed pianist trying to overcome a tragic injury and reinvent himself. The craftsmanship was brilliant, and the construction left it impossible for listeners to realize it was only being played with one hand.

The biggest factor that allowed this to work, was the break-up into 3 sections. Normally, other concerto would have a Fast-Slow-Fast movement, but the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was set up as Slow-Fast-Slow.

While these individuals did all they could to please Mr. Wittgenstein, it was extremely difficult. When Wagner brought forth work, the complaint revolved around the orchestration being too powerful for a single-handed pianist. When it came to Prokofiev's suggestions, Wittgenstein simply wouldn't play them.

For Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Wittgenstein's complaint had to do with the long solo cadenza just after the opening. "If I had wanted a solo piece," he is said to have declared, "I wouldn't have commissioned a concerto." However, as Ravel refused to change it, Wittgenstein performed the work as written, and later came to like it.

In the end, the Concerto for the Left Hand was a true testament to the human spirit of, and more than just the overcoming nature of one man. - 32526

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here