Specially written for Valery Gergiev on the occasion of his 60th birthday, Rodion Shchedrin’s The Left-Hander takes its story from Nikolai Leskov’s satirical novella of 1881, The Tale of Cross-Eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea. This is a comedy of Russians and Englishmen, new technology, old traditions, and strong drink.