Description

n 1929, Maurice Ravel was asked to compose a concerto for Paul Wittgenstein, a pianist and World War I veteran who had lost his right arm. The outcome was one of Ravel's most exciting pieces and, for Wittgenstein, the most significant of the numerous pieces he had commissioned during his career.

Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand is based on previously unrecognized and inaccessible sources in this scholarly-critical edition. Douglas Woodfull-Harris, the editor, was able to trace the development of the work from Ravel's autographed working copy to the first printed edition by consulting manuscripts in the Paul Wittgenstein Estate's private library.