Record Review

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Music: Classical

A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and recommendations.

A thorough look at the week's classical music releases, plus news and the Radio 3 Disc of the Week recommendation.

Record Review: Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

BBC Radio 3 - Record Review, Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.

In Building a Library Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and Emily MacGregor shares a clutch of exciting new releases.

Andrew McGregor with the best new recordings of classical music.

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Emily MacGregor shares a clutch of exciting new releases.

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Building a Library

Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.

Despite having lost his right arm fighting on the Russian front during World War I, Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein was determined to continue his concert career. To that end he commissioned concertos from Richard Strauss, Franz Schmidt, Korngold, Britten and Prokofiev and Ravel.

To Strauss, Wittgenstein complained that he'd orchestrated too heavily, and he returned Prokofiev's concerto saying he didn't understand it and wasn't going to play it. When he took issue with Ravel's long opening cadenza ('If I wanted to play without the orchestra, I wouldn’t have commissioned a concerto!'), Ravel refused to change anything and Wittgenstein played the concerto as written at its 1932 premiere in Vienna.

It's a dark, compelling, wonderfully orchestrated work in one movement – and a dazzling display of Ravel's huge resourcefulness and skill in managing the solo part which always seems too impossibly rich and virtuosic to emanate from just one hand. 

Jeremy's Building a Library choice:
Krystian Zimerman (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Boulez (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon 4492132

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Record of the Week: Andrew’s top pick.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand with Jeremy Sams and Andrew McGregor

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