Left Hand Legacy Vol. 1 [Double Album]

The Viennese concert pianist Paul Wittgenstein lost his right arm at the front in 1914. He persevered with incredible persistence. These works were written for him so that he could continue to perform with composition uniquely crafted to fit his situation. Maurice Ravel's famous Concerto for the Left Hand was commissioned by Wittgenstein, but is not included on this album.

Dutch pianist Folke Nauta recently lost the use of his right hand due to focal dystonia. As did Wittgensten, Folke Nauta persevered to bring back to audiences the trove of chamber music written for piano with the left hand that Wittgenstein had accumulated up until his death in 1961. And, regrettably, as of this writing we now have also lost Folke Nuata, so I write this in remembrance.

...The sound quality of this album is what I've come to expect from Tom Peeters in his Cobra Records releases. I feel almost spoiled by the consistent beauty of his recordings as he captures very natural string tone and great piano sound in a nicely resonant acoustic environment. It all sounds like one is present before the performers—just decidedly well done!

Left Hand Legacy is the title of this album. The first part of a project devoted to works for piano left hand composed for the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein. It is an initiative of the Dutch pianist Folke Nauta. Like Wittgenstein, Nauta saw a flourishing career cruelly disrupted by a persistent injury (focal dystonia) to his right hand and has been involved in repertoire for the left-handed pianist for some time. Nauta graduated with distinction from the Conservatory of Amsterdam in 1997. His teacher was Jan Wijn, who also lost the use of his right hand due to focal dystonia and then concentrated on the repertoire for the left hand.

This is not only a mouth-watering recording because of the chosen subject. By all accounts, it is a performance here that cannot be praised enough. The excellently written explanation (also in Dutch!) by Folke Nauta is full of interesting facts, and the design with many photos is beautiful.

Tom Peeters was responsible for a beautiful recording, warm, spacious and yet transparent. The musical achievements of all involved deserve the highest praise, especially if one takes into account that we are talking about an edition with two hours and twenty minutes of completely new music to study. The excellently written explanation by cellist Michiel Weidner and Folke Nauta is packed with interesting facts. And the best part is that a second part is in the works.

Bravo!

Quintet in A major by Franz Schmidt is an imposing and voluminous piece that lasts more than an hour. Remarkable is the second part in which only the piano can be heard. Nauta makes that Intermezzo sound in such a way that you would never suspect that it is played with only one hand… The remarkably good piece from 1938 is also full of pleasant surprises, with the original fifth movement Variations on a Theme by Josef Labor…Nauta and his musical colleagues have delivered a wonderful first part of their great project. Hurray for the research and hurray to Nauta who has turned his handicap into his strength.

Folke Nauta plays one-handed piano parts with a lot of expression…he performs the pieces with conviction, together with the Prisma String Trio and clarinetist Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer… definitely worthwhile, especially because of the expressive possibilities of the one-handed piano parts.

Gal’s Quartet is a particularly imaginatively composed piece, heard on this CD in a very inspired, lively interpretation…Franz Schmidt wrote his highly original and autumn-tinted quintet, which lasts about 70 minutes, in 1926…This is followed by an alertly chattering, mischievous Scherzo with a melancholy and, in this recording, movingly tenderly played Trio. The beautiful Adagio that follows begins with a lengthy introduction by the piano. The clarinet is also given a lovely cantabile part. The concluding variations on a theme by Josef Labor end this highly attractive score, despite its length, which is clearly enhanced by the committed and spirited performers, further enriching this already valuable album.