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Without question, Dame Mitsuko Uchida is recognized as among the greatest Mozart interpreters of our time. On her latest disc she continues her series of Mozart concerto recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra, performing two of the composer’s most popular concerti: No.20 (K.466) & No.27 (K.595).
Distinctly different from her first recordings of these works, these new recordings see her directing the orchestra from the keyboard, in line with performances of Mozart’s day.
‘Mitsuko Uchida, directing Mozart concertos from the Steinway, and doing so with such ease and infectious pleasure in making music... who wants (or needs) a separate conductor?” The Chicago Tribune commented.
Piano Concert No. 20 In D Minor, K466 - I. Allegro
II. Romance
III. Allegro Assai
Piano Concert No. 27 In B Flat Major, K595 - I. Allegro
II. Romance
III. Allegro
March 2011
“[Uchida is] subtle and highly polished, never drawing attention to her virtuosity and erring on the side of understatement....Despite the profound intimacy with which she imbues both concertos, there is passion too when required...I cannot recall hearing these works performed with this degree of intimacy and subtlety.”
12th February 2011
***
“Nothing could be more tenderly touching than No 27’s slow movement...the Cleveland Orchestra (directed from the keyboard) brood and explode on cue.”
11th February 2011
****
“Decades after she first recorded these concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra, Uchida is recording them again, this time with the Cleveland Orchestra. All the things that made the first recording treasurable are there: the pearly, immaculate tone, the needlepoint precision, the graceful phrasing. The orchestra, too, is on terrific form.”
March 2011
*****
“where others opt for Beethovenian struggle [in K466], she conveys, to a degree unmatched in my experience, a sense of sorrow, an almost harrowing sadness, underlining the tragedy of the work without vitiating its drama. This she does with a probing subtlety that defies concise description and sets this interpretation apart from any other known to me.”
April 2011
*****
“[Uchida is] capable of eliciting a kaleidoscope of moods and orchestral colours...[her] poignant and beautifully expressive performance is beautifully balanced by the orchestra's illuminating accompaniment...Wonderfully fluent and effortlessly brilliant from orchestra and soloist.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Piano Concert No. 20 In D Minor, K466 - I. Allegro
