Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Korngold)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in C-sharp major, Op. 17, was written on commission from Paul Wittgenstein in 1923, and published in 1926. It was only the second such concerto ever written, after the Concerto in E-flat by Géza Zichy, published in 1895.[1]
Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I, was later to commission works from composers such as Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Benjamin Britten, Sergei Prokofiev and Paul Hindemith, but Korngold was one of the first composers he approached.[1] At that time, Korngold was the most performed composer in Germany and Austria after Strauss, and, despite being only in his mid-twenties, had already written a number of operas, including his greatest triumph, Die tote Stadt.[1] The concerto was premiered in Vienna on 22 September 1924 with Wittgenstein as soloist and the composer conducting.[1][2]
In many other cases, Wittgenstein requested certain revisions to the works he commissioned, but not from Korngold.[3] He was so happy with what Korngold wrote that he commissioned a further work, the Suite for 2 violins, cello and piano left-hand, Op. 23.[4]
Structure
The Concerto is cast in one continuous movement, which progresses through various moods and three main sections:
- Mässiges Zeitmass (Moderate tempo)
- Heldisch (Heroic)
- Mit Feuer und Kraft (with fire and power).[5]
The performance duration is approximately 27 minutes.
