Ravel, Piano Concerto for Left Hand

Composers have had various reasons for writing piano music for left hand alone. It presents a technical challenge. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote a set of etudes to strengthen the left hand and develop technique. And writing for one hand also challenges the composer’s skills. Of course, audiences also like to see performers rise to this kind of challenge.

Sometimes the composer is responding to a need that arises from injury. Scriabin wrote his Prelude for Left Hand (featured last week) after he pushed the limits practicing and damaged his right hand. But one of the primary motivators for left-hand piano music came from Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1916) who lost his right arm fighting in World War I. Determined not to abandon his career as a pianist, Wittgenstein used his considerable family wealth to commission left-hand works from many leading composers: Britten, Hindemith, Korngold, Prokofiev, Strauss, and Ravel. Ravel’s Concerto for Left Hand has gained the most prominent place in this specialized repertoire.

The single-movement concerto is relatively short (about 20 minutes). Ravel was determined not to compromise musically. You would find little evidence solely from listening that the work is being played with one hand, and that’s really the challenge for the composer—to realize the full scope of musical expression while staying within the limits of what can be played with one hand. So don’t let the slow opening fool you. Ravel packs a wide range of expression and virtuosity in this short, one-movement work.