Name: AMERICAN PIANIST PAUL WITTGENSTEIN (1887-1961) 3 CDR
SKU: 23298
Price: 69.99 USD
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Description

PAUL WITTGENSTEIN (VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, 11 MAY, 1887 – NEW YORK CITY, US, 3 MARCH, 1961)

Paul Wittgenstein (1887–1961) was an Austrian-American concert pianist, best known for his remarkable career as a pianist playing with his left hand alone after losing his right arm during the First World War. Born on 5 November 1887 in Vienna, he belonged to a wealthy and culturally distinguished family. He was the elder brother of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. The family home was frequently visited by leading musicians, including Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss.

Wittgenstein studied piano with Malvine Brée and the celebrated pianist and pedagogue Theodor Leschetizky, and music theory with Josef Labor. He made his public debut in Vienna in December 1913 and showed considerable promise as a concert pianist. His career was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War, when he served as an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army. Seriously wounded on the Eastern Front, he was captured by Russian forces and subsequently lost his right arm through amputation. During his captivity, he resolved to continue his musical career, mastering an extraordinary left-hand technique.

After returning to concert life, Wittgenstein became one of the most influential advocates of piano music for the left hand. Using his personal wealth and musical connections, he commissioned new works from some of the leading composers of the twentieth century, including Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Schmidt and Benjamin Britten. Among the most celebrated works written for him is Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major (1929–1930). He also arranged and transcribed existing compositions, developing innovative pianistic techniques that enabled him to create the impression of a full, two-handed performance.

From 1931 to 1938, Wittgenstein taught at the New Vienna Conservatory and performed extensively throughout Europe and elsewhere. Following the Anschluss in 1938, he left Austria and eventually settled in the United States, where he became an American citizen in 1946. He continued teaching and performing, and published his three-volume School for the Left Hand in 1957, documenting his approach to one-handed piano playing.

Paul Wittgenstein died in Manhasset, New York, on 3 March 1961. His legacy extends far beyond his own performances: through his commissions, arrangements and pedagogical work, he helped establish a substantial repertoire for the left hand alone and profoundly influenced the development of twentieth-century piano literature.

TRACKLIST

MAURICE RAVEL (1875–1937)

Concerto pour la main gauche in D major (1929–1930)

Paul Wittgenstein, piano
Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam
Bruno Walter, conductor

Recorded live at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, February 28, 1937

La Fileuse, Op. 157, No. 2 (Raff/Wittgenstein) Arranged for left hand alone

Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel/Wittgenstein) Solo excerpt; Baldwin piano, Salle Pleyel, Paris; 17 January 1933

Meeresstille (Schubert/Liszt/Wittgenstein) Favorite F. A. XII; matrix 104; c. 1918

Du bist die Ruhe (Schubert/Wittgenstein) Favorite F. A. V; matrix 102; c. 1918

Kinderstück (Mendelssohn/Wittgenstein) Favorite F. A. II; matrix 101; c. 1918

Study on Chopin’s Étude in C-sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 12 (Godowsky) For left hand alone; Favorite F. A. IX; matrix 103; c. 1918

Andante Finale from Lucia di Lammermoor, Op. 13 (Donizetti/Leschetizky) For left hand alone; Boston Records B-412; matrix K80P-9351-1; c. 1958

Lied ohne Worte, Op. 67, No. 1 in E-flat major (Mendelssohn) Hupfeld Animatic 58791; early 1920s

Richard Strauss – Paul Wittgenstein, Eric Simon, Boston Records Orchestra – Parergon To The Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 73 And Transcriptions For Piano Left Hand

Label: Boston Records – B-412

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo

Country: US

Released: 1959

Genre: Classical

Style: Classical, Romantic

A Parergon To The Sinfonia Domestica, Op. 73

Composed By – Richard Strauss

B1 Andante Finale From “Lucia Di Lammermoor”

Composed By – Leschetizky