List of works for piano left-hand and orchestra

Paul Wittgenstein at the piano

This is a list of concertos and concertante works for piano left-hand and orchestra.

The very first such composition was published as late as 1895, by the Hungarian Count Géza Zichy.^[1] The best known left-hand concerto is the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D by Maurice Ravel, which was written for Paul Wittgenstein between 1929 and 1930. Wittgenstein commissioned a number of such works around that time, as did Otakar Hollmann. More recently, Gary Graffman has commissioned a number of left-hand concertos.

Chronological list of works for piano left-hand and orchestra

• Géza Zichy – Piano Concerto in E-flat for the left hand, 1895 (written for himself to play)
• Josef Labor – Concertpiece in the form of variations for piano left-hand and orchestra, 1916 (composed for Paul Wittgenstein)^[1]
• Josef Labor – Concert Piece in F minor, 1917 (commissioned by Wittgenstein, who premiered it in 1936)^[1]
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Piano Concerto in C-sharp for the left hand, Op. 17, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Paul Hindemith – Klaviermusik mit Orchester, Op. 29, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein, but never played by him; score discovered in his widow's papers after her death in 2002, and premiered by Leon Fleisher in 2004)^[2]
• Josef Labor – Concert Piece in B-flat minor (E flat major?), 1923^[1]
• Franz Schmidt – Concertante Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Sergei Bortkiewicz – Piano Concerto No. 2 for the Left Hand, Op. 28, 1924 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Karl Weigl – Concerto for the left hand, 1924^[1]
• Richard Strauss – Panathenäenzug: Sinfonische Etüden in Form einer Passacaglia for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 74, 1925 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Leoš Janáček – Capriccio for piano left hand and chamber ensemble, 1926 (suggested by Otakar Hollmann but not written for him specifically)
• Bohuslav Martinů – Concertino (later renamed Divertimento) for piano left hand and chamber orchestra, Op. 173, 1926 (commissioned by Hollmann)
• Rudolf Braun – Piano Concerto in A minor, 1927 (written for Wittgenstein)
• Richard Strauss – Parergon zur "Sinfonia Domestica" for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 73, 1927 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Eduard Schütt – Paraphrase for piano and orchestra, 1929 (written for Wittgenstein)
• Maurice Ravel – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D, 1929–30 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Sergei Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 4 for the left hand, Op. 53, 1931 (commissioned by Wittgenstein but never played by him; premiered in 1956 by Siegfried Rapp)
• Franz Schmidt – Piano Concerto No. 2, for the Left Hand, 1934 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Benjamin Britten – Diversions for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, 1940 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Alexandre Tansman – Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra, 1943
• Norman Demuth – Piano Concerto for the left hand, 1947 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Kurt Leimer – Piano Concerto No. 2 (in one movement), 1944–48^[1]
• Arnold Bax – Concertante for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra, 1948
• Norman Demuth – Legend for piano left hand and orchestra, 1949 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Josef Bartovský – Piano Concerto No. 2 for left hand, 1952 (written for Hollmann)
• Johannes Paul Thilman – Concertino for piano (left hand) and orchestra, Op.65, 1954
• Ján Zimmer – Piano Concerto No. 5 for the Left Hand, Op. 50, 1961
• Lucijan Marija Škerjanc – Concerto for piano left hand and orchestra, 1963
• Dieter Nowka – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Op. 71, 1971
• Raoul Sosa – Concerto for piano left hand with string orchestra, 1989
• Gunther Schuller – Concerto for 3 Hands, 1990 (written for Lorin Hollander and Leon Fleisher)^[1]
• Curtis Curtis-Smith – Concerto for piano (left hand) and orchestra, 1991 (commissioned by Leon Fleisher)
• Lukas Foss – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, 1993
• Ned Rorem – Piano Concerto No. 4 for the Left Hand, 1993 (commissioned by Gary Graffman)
• William Bolcom – Gaea for Two Pianos Left Hand, and Orchestra, 1996 (commissioned by Graffman for him to play with Leon Fleisher)
• David Haynes – Concerto No. 1 for Left Hand and orchestra, 1999
• Richard Danielpour – Piano Concerto No. 3 "Zodiac Variations", 2002
• Daron Hagen – Seven Last Words: Concerto for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, 2002 (commissioned by Graffman)
• Mario Alfagüell – First Concerto for piano left hand and small orchestra, Op. 145, 2003
• Stanisław Skrowaczewski – Concerto Niccolò for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, 2003
• Pehr Henrik Nordgren – Concerto for piano left hand and chamber orchestra, Op. 129, 2004
• Mario Alfagüell – Second Concerto for piano left hand and orchestra, Op. 185, 2007
• Takashi Yoshimatsu – Concerto for Piano Left Hand and Chamber Orchestra "Cepheus Note", Op. 102, 2007
• Igor Ivanek – Concerto for piano left hand alone and orchestra: Igni Natura Renovatur Integra (All of Nature is Restored by Fire
• Luis Prado – Piano Concerto for the left hand (Concierto de piano para la mano izquierda, written for Gary Graffman, 2001 and premiered by him in 2002)
• Hans Abrahamsen – Left, alone, 2015

Alphabetical listing (by composer's surname)

By the composer's last name:

• Mario Alfagüell – First Concerto for piano left hand and small orchestra, Op. 145, 2003
• Josef Bartovský – Piano Concerto No. 2 for left hand, 1952 (written for Hollmann)
• Arnold Bax – Concertante for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra, 1948
• William Bolcom – Gaea for Two Pianos Left Hand, and Orchestra, 1996 (commissioned by Graffman for him to play with Leon Fleisher)
• Sergei Bortkiewicz – Piano Concerto No. 2 for the Left Hand, Op. 28, 1924 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Rudolf Braun – Piano Concerto in A minor, 1927 (written for Wittgenstein)
• Benjamin Britten – Diversions for Piano (left hand) and Orchestra, 1940 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Curtis Curtis-Smith – Concerto for piano (left hand) and orchestra, 1991 (commissioned by Leon Fleisher)
• Richard Danielpour – Piano Concerto No. 3 "Zodiac Variations", 2002
• Norman Demuth – Piano Concerto for the left hand, 1947 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Norman Demuth – Legend for piano left hand and orchestra, 1949 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Lukas Foss – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, 1993
• Daron Hagen – Seven Last Words: Concerto for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, 2002 (commissioned by Graffman)
• David Haynes – Concerto No. 1 for Left Hand and orchestra, 1999
• Paul Hindemith – Klaviermusik mit Orchester, Op. 29, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein, but never played by him; score discovered in his widow's papers after her death in 2002, and premiered by Leon Fleisher in 2004)
• Igor Ivanek – Concerto for piano left hand alone and orchestra: Igni Natura Renovatur Integra (All of Nature is Restored by Fire)
• Leoš Janáček – Capriccio for piano left hand and chamber ensemble, 1926 (suggested by Otakar Hollmann but not written for him specifically)
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Piano Concerto in C-sharp for the left hand, Op. 17, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Josef Labor – Concertpiece in the form of variations for piano left-hand and orchestra, 1916 (composed for Paul Wittgenstein)^[1]
• Josef Labor – Concert Piece in F minor, 1917 (commissioned by Wittgenstein, who premiered it in 1936)^[1]
• Josef Labor – Concert Piece in B-flat minor (E flat major?), 1923^[1]
• Kurt Leimer – Piano Concerto No. 2 (in one movement), 1944–48^[1]
• Bohuslav Martinů – Concertino (later renamed Divertimento) for piano left hand and chamber orchestra, Op. 173, 1926 (commissioned by Hollmann)
• Pehr Henrik Nordgren – Concerto for piano left hand and chamber orchestra, Op. 129, 2004
• Dieter Nowka – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Op. 71, 1971
• Luis Prado – Piano Concerto for the left hand (Concierto de piano para la mano izquierda, written for Gary Graffman, 2001 and premiered by him in 2002)
• Sergei Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 4 for the left hand, Op. 53, 1931 (commissioned by Wittgenstein but never played by him; premiered in 1956 by Siegfried Rapp)
• Maurice Ravel – Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D, 1929–30 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Ned Rorem – Piano Concerto No. 4 for the Left Hand, 1993 (commissioned by Gary Graffman)
• Camille Saint-Saëns - Six studies for the left hand alone, op. 135, I-VI
• Franz Schmidt – Concertante Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, 1923 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Franz Schmidt – Piano Concerto No. 2, for the Left Hand, 1934 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Gunther Schuller – Concerto for 3 Hands, 1990 (written for Lorin Hollander and Leon Fleisher)^[1]
• Eduard Schütt – Paraphrase for piano and orchestra, 1929 (written for Wittgenstein)
• Lucijan Marija Škerjanc – Concerto for piano left hand and orchestra, 1963
• Stanisław Skrowaczewski – Concerto Niccolò for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, 2003
• Raoul Sosa – Concerto for piano left hand with string orchestra, 1989
• Richard Strauss – Parergon zur "Sinfonia Domestica" for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 73, 1927 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Richard Strauss – Panathenäenzug: Sinfonische Etüden in Form einer Passacaglia for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 74, 1925 (commissioned by Wittgenstein)
• Alexandre Tansman – Concert Piece for Piano and Orchestra, 1943
• Johannes Paul Thilman – Concertino for piano (left hand) and orchestra, Op.65, 1954
• Karl Weigl – Concerto for the left hand, 1924^[1]
• Takashi Yoshimatsu – Concerto for Piano Left Hand and Chamber Orchestra "Cepheus Note", Op. 102, 2007
• Géza Zichy – Piano Concerto in E-flat for the left hand, 1895 (written for himself to play)
• Ján Zimmer – Piano Concerto No. 5 for the Left Hand, Op. 50, 1961

Works for the right hand only

Works for piano right-hand only also exist, but there are far fewer of them than for left-hand only.

Concertante works involving piano right-hand include:

• Henri Cliquet-Pleyel (1894–1963) – Concerto for Piano Right Hand and Orchestra^[1]
• Arthur Bliss – Concerto for Two Pianos (3 Hands) and Orchestra, Op. 17 (1968; originally for tenor, piano, strings and percussion; then arranged for 2 pianos and orchestra for Phyllis Sellick and Cyril Smith; then arranged by Bliss and Clifford Phillips for 2 pianos 3 hands and orchestra)^[1]
• Malcolm Arnold – Concerto for Two Pianos Three Hands and Orchestra (also known as Concerto for Phyllis and Cyril), 1969. One pianist plays with both hands, the other with the right hand only.
• Gordon Jacob – Concerto for Three Hands on One Piano, 1969 (written for Sellick and Smith).^[1]

References

• Hans Brofeldt, Piano Music for the Left Hand Alone

1. Donald L. Patterson, One Handed: A Guide to Piano Music for One Hand
2. Audiophile Audition