Mozart: The Piano Sonatas | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mitsuko Uchida

Mozart: The Piano Sonatas | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mitsuko Uchida | Both thrilling and interesting

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Mozart: The Piano ...

	Mozart: The Piano Sonatas Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mitsuko Uchida Philips, 2003 average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Some of my favorite Uchida perfomances

Like Rubinstein with Chopin, I have always enjoyed performances by a pianist who has a particular affinity for the compositions they are playing. This is no less true here with Mitsuko Uchida and her interpretations of the Mozart piano sonatas. I have these recordings in the Philips Complete Mozart Edition, but got this set regardless, trusting in an improved sound from this 2003 box set. I have not been disappointed. Uchida is wonderful, of course, and the sound is even more rich & inviting than the version from 1988. Mitsuko Uchida is still the gold standard in the digital era on these Mozart solo piano pieces. Her Philips recordings of these works have always been among the most treasured cds in my collection. Coupled with the attractive slim box-set they are now offered in, at bargain price no less, these are records that are virtually irresistible, and automatically self-recommending.

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Both thrilling and interesting

I'm more than a little surprised at the couple of negative reviews of this cycle. But maybe these reviews indicate what is distinctive in these performances.

Uchida plays Mozart in a decidedly unromantic fashion, which is most obvious from her avoidance of the sustaining pedal. Thus, the notes "decay" quickly. She is extremely sensitive to contrapuntal detail, and she is exquisitely attentive to the drama and surprising turns that even the earlier pieces exhibit. Repeatedly I find myself surprised at what Mozart does next--unexpected notes or emphases, dance-like theme fragments coming from (seemingly) nowhere. One gets the impression that Mozart has payed a lot of attention to Bach, which is precisely the case. I'll risk sounding silly by noting that I tend to forget that Mozart is not playing these pieces himself; her realization is that natural, at least to my ears.

If you dislike her approach and you want a cycle, I suppose you might get Walter Klien's set on VoxBox for a different take. In fact, maybe get a single disc of Uchida and a VoxBox of Klien and compare. If you don't insist on a complete cycle, Ivan Moravec has done a lovely and interesting disc of Mozart. I am not a fan of Barenboim so I cannot comment on that cycle. I will note that I was displeased with the snippet of the first sonata that I sampled on Amazon for this review, but at least it was more interesting than the snippet of Schiff's that I also sampled. I know loyalties run deep, so I'm sorry if I've annoyed fans of B or S.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Sonatas-Vol-1/dp/samples/B000001K2G/ref=dp_tracks_all_1/103-2332760-5770260?ie=UTF8&qid=1185583067&sr=1-4#disc_1
http://www.amazon.com/Moravec-Plays-Mozart-Wolfgang-Amadeus/dp/B00005YJTL/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-2332760-5770260?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1185581923&sr=8-3

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One of the best compilations

Classic Mitsuko Uchida. She loves Mozart, and you can tell from this ultra slim box set.

Mitsuko Uchida and The Piano Sonatas by Mozart

Quand on écoute les sonates pour piano de Mozart, si admirablement interprétées par la merveilleuse pianiste Mitsuko Uchida, on ne peut que constater, à l'écoute de son jeu de piano, qu'elle ne joue pas seulement qu'avec ses dix doigts. Son amour et sa profonde passion pour l'oeuvre de Mozart, on l'entend à chaque note, à chaque souffle. Son âme musicale fait ici office de chef d'orchestre et ses dix doigts, eux, ils sont comme des musiciens qui s'exécuteraient et obéiraient, à la baguette et à l'oeil, à la volonté du Maestro.

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One of the best Mozart Sonatas CD