Towering transcriptions. Stravinsky and Debussy orchestral works in one pianist’s two very safe hands.

Published: Jan. 19, 2018, 5 p.m.

Ralph van Raat performs fiendishly difficult transcriptions for solo piano of two of the most important orchestral works of the early 20th century: Debussy’s symphonic sketches La mer, and Stravinsky’s score for the ballet The Rite of Spring. Raymond Bisha guides us through the transformation of these works from orchestral complexity to pianistic élan.