Paul Wittgenstein plays Ravel - Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (2/2)

Piano Concerto for the Left Hand by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). The one-armed Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1961) - the older brother of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein - commissioned the work from Ravel and premiered it in 1932. This is a 1937 recording with Paul Wittgenstein as soloist, accompanied by Bruno Walter and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

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[musicanth]

Part 1 is here: watch?v=qERkDYhLlMM

[pauldquam1]

Someone had a very high quality record of this performance you are sharing with

us on YouTube. With the electronic gadgets we get to use today, many of the

very old 78rpm records can become delightful!  Thanks for your video.

[WOWdato]

ravel was never pleased with wittgenstain's performance. he also let him do some changes but he wasn't. wittgensatin himself heared performance in paris in 1921, after that he said what a wonderfull concerto it is and begun to play good :D

he approved bad playing to ravel: I'm old pianist and it must be forgiven, also ,,translators" are not slaves! Ravel angrily answered: Yes! ,,translators" are slaves!

[78Maniac]

Il existe un film 16mm réalisé par Pathé en 1933, sur lequel Wittgenstein joue le Concerto, à Paris en concert et dirigé par Ravel.

Une référence rééditée en CD chez DGG: Monique Haas avec l'Orchestre National de la RTF dirigé par Paul Paray (1965) avec en plus le Concerto en Sol, la Sonatine et le Tombeau de Couperin, ces deux derniers enregistrés par Monique Haas en 1956. Diapason d'Or.

[pianoenthusiast11]

the recording he made the strauss parergon is a far better recording than either of his ravel recorded performances.

[libertango779]

@MichaSchlechtriem

From what I've read, he was pretty good until about 1934.

As for Ravel, he was mostly just angry that Wittgenstein changed parts of his music...which he didn't learn about until he heard it performed.

I'm no historian, though.

[MichaSchlechtriem]

Wittgenstein played terrible, there is a second recording by him under Max Rudolph which is even worse.

These are important documents, nonetheless. They show a Pianist who simply tried to play with his left hand as loud as with both hands.

Ravel disliked his playing, by the way.

Thanks for uploading this, I did not know the Walter- recording but only the Rudolph one.