Customer Reviews

Mitsuko Uchida Plays Schubert [Box Set]

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Mitsuko Uchida is one of the major stars of the piano keyboard today and while her repertoire is wide, her interpretation of Franz Schubert's piano music is among the finest both on the concert stage and on recording. The two seem to be from the same soul: Uchida somehow finds the spiritual core of Schubert and traverses the hurdles of his Olympian pieces with complete ease and assurance.

This 8 CD set includes three sets of Impromptus (D899, 935, 946), Moments musicaux D780, German Dances D 820 an D790, and the Piano Sonatas numbers 4, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The placing of these works on the individual CDs creates a series of eight recitals and each disc is rich and satisfying. Playing all eight CDs in one day makes for one of the most rewarding musical experiences available.

The recorded sound is superb and Uchida is in top form for each selection. This is fine as Schubert gets and the entire set is more than well worth the relatively modest price. For lovers of the piano, of Mitsuko Uchida, and of Schubert this is zenith release. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

I have a large collection of Schubert solo piano recordings, from Brendel to Kempff. It is no small claim to say that one comprehensive set of 8 CDs by a single pianist is the finest. Uchida has accomplished exactly that. This set is as beautifully played as her famed Mozart sonatas cycle. As an added bonus, the recorded sound is in the audiophile class, worthy of the very finest 2-channel system. In fact, how can you not play these CDs on the best available audio equipment, and as often as possible? These are desert island discs to be treasured forever. To appreciate the full glory of this rare musical experience, I would not recommend the compressed MP3 downloads. For the price that Amazon is advertising (about $7 per CD), any music lover is doing themselves a major disservice not to grab a set today.

Although I have most of the pieces in this collection in performances by other artists such as Horowitz, Richter, Pollini, and Brendel, I find myself listening to Uchida more than any of the others. Her interpretation suits my liking for precision, tempo, and chiaroscuro of mood and dynamics. I come to trust her more and more. I also recommend her Mozart collection.

Uchida's Schubert confirms what I believe is true about all great works of art: they resist to random intruder who wants only to pillage the easily obtainable pleasures. For me, her Schubert was not first easy to grasp. Not to be mistaken: the sound is crystalline and full-fledged. Her pianism is indisputable. Her technique spotless. But you don't get Beethoven-like Schubert of such Wilhelm Kempff. This is rather a Schubert pointing forward, far beyond Chopin and toward Schumann. This is a Schubert to re-listen and meditate over and over. Highly recommended!

When speaking of Schubert's keyboard output, for many years I have counted - among the living pianists - only Alfred Brendel and Radu Lupu on my short list of greatest interpreters. Their artistic trajectories and personal gifts seem particularly shaped for the delicate, perfumed melodies and playful rhythms Schubert conjured up so often in his work. Undisputed authorities of the field - considered as such by both specialists and audiences across the world - their recitals and recordings programming the Viennese composer's opuses (mostly Sonatas but also Impromptus, Moment musicaux, Klavierstücke, German Dances, Scherzos, Lieders) are always eagerly anticipated events.

However, I must gladly admit my short list has slightly enlarged lately. Since this CD box set arrived, in my preferences Mitsuko Uchida has definitely - and definitively! - gathered this select group of accomplished Schubertians bringing her unique and inspired insight to a delightful music for ages. So no surprise that now she enjoys a privileged place among them.

The outstanding result of these records - imbued with Uchida's superclass artistry - once more testifies her long run devotion to the Viennese music and her genuine commitment to value its everlasting treasures. This determination borders on a burning passion - I dare say even a fascination - with classical music riches, that only great artists can utterly experience to finally share it with us. Just remember her Mozart complete concertos and sonatas, as well the traversal of Beethoven concertos and - the more recently released - two discs comprising Titan's late sonatas. All these achievements could well have been explained by her musical training in Vienna some five decades ago, by the Imperial Capital mood that impregnated her ever since, by the high-spirited atmosphere so vivid over there. Yet, I think her passion stems from a deeper empathy with true values and their irresistible flair. Available - as all we know - only in the immortal masterpieces, most abundantly grouped in the XIXth century.

Once assumed the axiology, Schubert could well be one of the first choices for a lifelong partnership. Each of the sonatas recorded here unfolds its own character, its unique charm. Uchida commands a high-quality pianism in which the virtuosity is just a connotation - not a goal by itself - while the lyricism gets through with clarity and naturalness. The sonatas breathe an amazing fresh air - think of the ones in E flat major (D 568) or D major (D 850) - whilst the German Dances or the other short pieces (Moments musicaux D 780) exhibit a pleasurable and light-hearted flavour, all so fittingly featuring Uchida's skills. How lively the melodic lines combine, born from one another, developing calm reveries and delicate emotions arisen amidst the most intense upsurges of romantic fervour - as the case is in the great A minor Sonata (D 784) - or bleak soliloquies, like - for instance - in the second movement of the A major Sonata (D 959), where a restrained noble tristesse emerges through a sober and discrete - yet fondling - finger-work.

All these Schubert discs were recorded by Mitsuko Uchida in the renowned Golden Hall at Musikverein in Vienna, during five years of peak artistry in her fifties and issued as individuals in their time. At a worthy price, this box set storing all 8 CDs is a not-to-be-missed collector item.

Schubert was a phenomenal composer. This set of CD's is now one of my most treasured possessions. His last sonata is almost 45 min long, an epic peice. Not for one second does Uchida's playing slow; she holds you completely engrossed in music so beautiful.

The sound quality is superb, the playing dense in personality and detail. As the previous reviewer mentioned, anyone interested in the piano, Uchida or Schubert this is a must have masterpeice.

This set takes its place among the finest recorded performances of these works. Mitsuko Uchida spares nothing in her full, intense emotional reading of the sonatas, highlighting both the lyrical and dramatic aspects, and brings out the fire and ice in these remarkable works. Wonderful listening for any lover of Schubert or piano music.