Page "Maurice Ravel" Paragraph 42

Remarkably, Ravel composed both of his piano concertos simultaneously.

He completed the Concerto for the Left Hand first.

The work was commissioned by Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm during World War I. Ravel was inspired by the technical challenges of the project.

As Ravel stated, “ In a work of this kind, it is essential to give the impression of a texture no thinner than that of a part written for both hands .” Ravel, not proficient enough to perform the work with only his left hand, demonstrated it with two-hands and Wittgenstein was reportedly underwhelmed by it.

But later Wittgenstein stated, “ Only much later, after I ’ d studied the concerto for months, did I become fascinated by it and realized what a great work it was .” In 1933, Wittgenstein played the work in concert for the first time to instant acclaim.

Critic Henry Prunières wrote, “ From the opening measures, we are plunged into a world in which Ravel has but rarely introduced us .”