Ravel Piano Concerto and Shostakovich 4

Maurice Ravel‘s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major was premiered in 1932 by the pianist Paul Wittgenstein (brother of the philosopher, Ludwig). After losing his right arm in World War I, the pianist resumed his career by commissioning a number of works for left hand. Ravel’s concerto combines his skills as an orchestral colorist with hints of the burgeoning jazz idiom of the day. Dmitry Shostakovich specifies an orchestra well over a hundred musicians for his Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43. Combined with the demands placed on the performers, this makes the Symphony No. 4 one of his least-performed scores, yet it ranks as one of his most important and personal works. (Wikipedia)