Maurice Ravel

Listening Guide.

Ravel’s one-movement Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was written for the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in World War 1. A low register opening featuring the growling tones of the contrabassoon leads to an extended piano solo in which the physicality of the pianist is palpable and can be vividly imagined by the trained pianist-listener. The music moves through massive orchestral chord clusters and lightly scored, quick-footed sections, before the solo cadenza which leads to a hard won, rousing conclusion.