Works For The Left Hand Vol.1. Zecchini

Maxime Zecchini (piano)

Ravel: Concerto for the Left Hand (transcribed for solo piano by Maxime Zecchini); Scriabin: Prélude Op.9 No.1, Nocturne Op.9 No.2; Chopin: Etudes Nos.5 & 22 (transcribed by Léopold Godowsky); Saint-Saëns: Études pour la main gauche Op.135 Nos.2, 4 & 6; Bach: Chaconne (transcribed by Johannes Brahms)

On this first release in a planned three-disc anthology of piano music for the left hand, Maxime Zecchini performs works by Ravel, Scriabin, Saint-Saëns and Brahms. Paul Wittgenstein, a wealthy Austrian pianist who lost his right arm during World War I, commissioned many composers to write for the left hand, and thanks to him we have works such as Ravel's glorious Piano Concerto, heard here in a transcription for solo piano. Scriabin wrote the two pieces on this recording for his personal use, as he was suffering from an injured right hand at the time. The three Saint-Saëns pieces were written to illustrate the technical abilities of the composer while Brahms explained that his transcription of the second Partita was written, "so that the pianist can experience the same feeling and technical difficulties the violinist experiences."

Price: $22.98