One of the most astonishing stories in pianist history came from World War I veteran Paul Wittgenstein. A man with utter determination to make his dreams come true was surfacing in the pianist world.
The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, was simply a masterpiece. It's a true testament to his brilliance as a writer, and his ability to change a man's life.
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.
Ravel himself had never written a concerto before, but several piano solos. During this time he had been working on the Concerto in G, which of course was intended to be played with two-hands. After hitting a wall, he decided Wittgenstein's challenge may be what he needed to push forward. His research was uncanny, and as he studied the left-handed Etudes of Camille Saint-Saens, he believed 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.
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.
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 indomitable human spirit.
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