Mozart: Sonatas for Piano & Violin in F Major, K. 377; C Major, K. 303; E Minor, K. 304; A Major, K. 526 [Import]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Mitsuko Uchida (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Mitsuko Uchida
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (March 8, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0007KTAXQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,532 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, July 20, 2005

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JMB1014 "JMB1014" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Sonatas for Piano & Violin in F Major, K. 377; C Major, K. 303; E Minor, K. 304; A Major, K. 526 (Audio CD)

I have also reviewed this exceptional recording as a hybrid CD. As might be expected, the sound is amazing. Next to this, listening to even the fine Perlman set on DGG is like watching an old black and white movie from the 1940's next to a modern, color film. The differences don't stop with sound quality, however. Mozart is rendered with passion, nuance and finesse in these delicious performances. Steinberg has also played with the Brentano string quartet, an energetic and rising ensemble. He throws himself into these sonatas with energy and imagination. He also prepared the notes, which, while a tad over-written, are far from the arid stuff one too often encounters. They also are imaginative and reward the time spent contemplating his ideas. There is plenty of food for thought here. Mitsuko Uchida, who has made a reputation with recordings of Debussy and Schubert piano music, not to mention the complete Mozart piano concerti and sonatas, is breaking new ground as an accompanist. She recently enjoyed tremendous success in a recording with Ian Bostridge of Schubert's "Die Schone Mullerin." Here, her talent brings real luster to the playing. I think she has improved noticeably since she made the earlier Mozart recordings. Plainly, she is one of the finest pianists alive. There are of course many fine performances of the Mozart piano and violin sonatas, but this one is special. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, July 19, 2005

By 

JMB1014 "JMB1014" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mozart: Piano & Violin Sonatas [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

Mitsuko Uchida has made a name for herself playing all the Mozart sonatas and concerti for piano, as well as Schubert piano works and an underappreciated CD of Schumann's Kreisleriana and Carnaval, among other things. Now she is breaking new ground as an accompanist. After a highly successful recording of Schubert's "Die Schone Mullerin" with Ian Bostridge, Ms. Uchida has essayed a gorgeous set of some of Mozart's more delicious piano and violin sonatas with Mark Steinberg of the Brentano string quartet - an energetic and rising young ensemble. Mr. Steinberg has a number of other recordings to his credit, including Schumann chamber music. He has also prepared the notes for this edition, which are far from the arid, technical remarks one often sees. He may overwrite, but he gives a lot to think about. The recording is lush and sparkling on this Philips hybrid SACD. (You can listen to it on any CD player, however.) There are of course many other competing recordings of Mozart's violin sonatas, but this one is special. The playing is elegant, nuanced and expressive. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Just pick out a sonata and sit back and listen. These are gems of the repertoire and lovingly rendered.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Very Model of Modern Mozart, January 12, 2008

By 

M. De Sapio (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mozart: Sonatas for Piano & Violin in F Major, K. 377; C Major, K. 303; E Minor, K. 304; A Major, K. 526 (Audio CD)

Many performers these days are showing the way to playing the music of the Classical era on modern instruments in a historically informed manner. Being a violinist rather than a pianist, I do not feel qualified to critique Mitsuko Uchida's performance, so I will instead concentrate on violinist Mark Steinberg. Like the best period violinists, Steinberg uses his bow as a true expressive instrument, not just a means of stringing notes together; his articulations are myriad and his bowing has a real light touch. He uses vibrato as an expressive effect too, minimizing it for a chilling opening to the E minor Sonata. He is alive to the rambunctiousness of Mozart's humor, and to his dramatic and rhetorical gestures. In brief, Uchida and Steinberg's Mozart is music as language, not the conventional Mozart of generic mellifluous sounds. If it were up to me, I would have chosen different sonatas than the F major and C major ones included here; but, of course, everyone is bound to have their favorites.

As a side note, I concur with another reviewer on the narcissistic quality of the cover photo. However, to be fair, this disc is part of a Mozart series featuring Uchida, and so technically she is the center of the show, with Steinberg a featured "guest".