Music of This Issue: Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand

2,096 characters2007.10.25

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Last time in Master Xian’s Schopenhauer class, he mentioned the chaotic, dark state of the world before the first pair of eyes opened. Master Xian said this state is impossible to describe, and cannot be depicted in painting either, but perhaps music could express it somewhat, so he gave this example—the opening section of Ravel’s Left Hand Piano Concerto.
When I got back and searched it out to listen, it really did have something going on. Of course, aside from the opening, the overall feeling is also quite good, very marvelous. This piece is one you have to listen to with your eyes closed.
The music from the previous issue, Senior Brother said, sounded rather frightening; I wonder what this one feels like~?
I found this introduction excerpted online:
In 1931, at the request of the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in the First World War, Ravel composed this concerto written specifically for left-hand performance. The composer once said that it “has many jazz effects… what matters is not creating an easy, delicate textural effect, but separating out the voices played by the two hands.” At the same time, it is also a highly dramatic work, with the piano and orchestra fused into one, endowed with distinctive color and artistic charm. The piece takes a single-movement form and has a free structure. The whole work can be divided into three sections. The first section is slow and restrained, with an unsettled mood; the deep orchestral introduction rises gradually from the low register, growing in volume until it is like a loud cry. After the piano enters, the music turns into something like a tragic march; before long, the momentum softens, and the piano’s sound emerges against the gentle sustained background of the strings, as if sinking into contemplation. The second section is fast and lively, humorous in character, and makes extensive use of jazz techniques. The third section is led by the piano’s glissando-like sweep into the return of the thematic material. The orchestra is magnificent in scale, the piano texture splendidly ornate, and the music has a grand and majestic air. Finally, a jazz-like theme suddenly sounds, bringing the whole piece to a witty and humorous close.