Diversions for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra


Diversions for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, Op. 21, is a concertante music composition by Benjamin Britten.

History

Britten wrote the work for the Viennese-born pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I. Britten met Wittgenstein in New York in July 1940 and sketched the piece in August at Owl's Head, Maine. Although Wittgenstein complained about the orchestration, Britten initially declined to make any changes but later agreed to a few small alterations. He for ever after felt bitter about them, and after 1950 he revised the score 'to create an official version that would stop Paul playing it by rendering his version obsolete.' Wittegenstein retained the performing rights for a good number of years, which kept other pianists from performing the work.
Wittgenstein played the premiere of Diversions with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Ormandy on 16 January 1942. The Philadelphia reviewers commented more on Wittgenstein and his work as a one-armed pianist than on the composition itself. The Philadelphia Record did describe the score as "ingeniously written", while Musical America commented on the presence of both "pleasurable and dull moments" in the work.

Music

The piece is in the form of a theme and 11 variations:
Britten utilised music that he wrote for a production of J. B. Priestley's Johnson over Jordan as source material for the work. Lyn Henderson has noted the influence of Prokofiev-like rhythms in Variation IXa. Christopher Mark has discussed Britten's use of the circle of fifths in various works, including the Diversions.

Recordings