Have you ever thought that being a piano soloist with one arm was impossible? Well for one determined young man, it became a dream.

The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, by French composer Maurice Ravel, is a testament not only to Ravel’s brilliance, but also to the indomitable will of the man who commissioned it.

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.

Due to his inabilities, he began practicing his left-handed technique. The goal was to arrange two-handed works in such a way, that they would accommodate his one-handed state. By the late’20s, Wittgenstein decided it was time to approach others about his innovation.

Many felt this would not be feasible, but he eventually came across Sergei Prokofiev, Richard Wagner, Benjamin Britten, and Maurice Ravel who believed it was possible.

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.

And so it proved to be. Such is Ravel’s craftsmanship that it is not at all obvious to a listener, that the piano part is written for just one hand. It is a dense, emotionally deep work which portrays the struggle of the one-armed pianist to overcome his tragic injury, and reinvent himself.

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.

Truth be told, Wittgenstein was famously known for being hard to please. Richard Wagner offered work as well, but Wittgenstein complained about the orchestration being too powerful for a single-handed pianist. Then of course when Prokofiev offered his work, Wittgenstein wouldn’t even play it.

Even with the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Wittgenstein complained about the long solo cadenza right after the opening. During one instance he even told Ravel; “If I had wanted a solo piece, I wouldn’t have commissioned a concerto.” However, Ravel stood his ground, and over time, Wittgenstein began to like it.

In the end, the Concerto for the Left Hand was a true testament to the human spirit of, and more than just the overcoming nature of one man.

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