| Do you think a one-armed man could have a | | | | feeling blocked. Enthusiastically taking up |
| career as a piano soloist? For one determined | | | | Wittgenstein’s challenge, Ravel studied the |
| young man, the answer was, “Yes.” | | | | left-handed Etudes of Camille Saint-Saens. Ravel |
| The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, | | | | was determined that his left-handed Concerto |
| by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a | | | | would not be a mere stunt, but a noteworthy |
| testament not only to Ravel’s brilliance, but | | | | addition to piano repertoire. |
| also to the indomitable will of the man who | | | | And so it proved to be. Such is Ravel’s |
| commissioned it. | | | | craftsmanship that it is not at all obvious to a |
| Paul Wittgenstein was a concert pianist who had | | | | listener, that the piano part is written for just one |
| launched his career in the year before World War | | | | hand. It is a dense, emotionally deep work which |
| I broke out. Sadly, he lost his right arm during the | | | | portrays the struggle of the one-armed pianist to |
| fighting. After the war, Wittgenstein was not | | | | overcome his tragic injury, and reinvent himself. |
| willing to admit that his dream of a concert piano | | | | Though the piece has sometime been described |
| career was over. Determined to succeed, he | | | | as being in two movements, most experts agree |
| began practicing with his remaining hand to | | | | that it is a piece written in one movement, but |
| improve his left-handed technique. He tried to | | | | with three sections. Unlike most concerti, The |
| arrange two-handed works to accommodate his | | | | Piano Concerto for the Left Hand is structured as |
| one-handed state. In the late 1920’s | | | | Slow-Fast-Slow, rather than Fast-Slow-Fast. |
| Wittgenstein decided to approach leading piano | | | | Wittgenstein was a client who was famously |
| composers of his day and commission works | | | | difficult to please. He found something to complain |
| written intentionally for the left hand alone. | | | | about in almost every concerto offered to him by |
| Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, and Benjamin | | | | his all-star line-up of composers. With |
| Britten were among the illustrious composers who | | | | Wagner’s work, Wittgenstein complained that |
| answered Wittgenstein’s call. And so did | | | | the orchestration was too powerful to |
| Maurice Ravel. | | | | accompany a single-handed pianist, and would |
| At this time, Ravel had never written a concerto | | | | overpower the soloist. With Prokofiev’s work, |
| before, though he had written piano solos. He was | | | | Wittgenstein declared that he simply would not |
| working on his Piano Concerto in G, more | | | | play it. |
| traditionally intended for two hands, and was | | | | |