Schubert: Piano Sonatas

Franz [Vienna] Schubert (Composer), Mitsuko Uchida (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Mitsuko Uchida
• Composer: Franz [Vienna] Schubert
• Audio CD (January 13, 1998)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000041LZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,518 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, July 11, 2000

By 

Christopher Smith (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schubert: Piano Sonatas (Audio CD)

To my mind this recording is as good as Uchida's rendition of Schubert's D. 960 sonata, which is saying something. I've always liked the D. 894, but until I heard Uchida's interpretation, I never realized just how profound it is. As far as I'm concerned you can't ask for more than that from a recording. D. 894 is expansive in the best sense of the word, and Uchida takes it at a leisurely pace so that its delights gradually unfold and then fully flower. This piece seems made for her searching, spiritual readings of Schubert's works, and the coupling of D. 894 with the unfinished torso of D. 840 is very appealing. Like D. 894, the two movements that comprise D. 840 need a lot of room for their momentum to gather and grow, and Uchida supplies the necessary space in abundance.

While I was a little disappointed with Uchida's interpretation of D. 959 (I explain why in a separate review of that recording), this release is a triumph, and may very well strengthen the case for D. 894's being placed in the exalted company of Schubert's final three sonatas. Enthusiastically recommended.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Schubertian accounts with Mitsuko Uchida, August 27, 2010

By 

P. Adrian "Adrian" (Arad, Romania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Schubert: Piano Sonatas (Audio CD)

Two wonderful piano sonatas by Schubert, composed in 1825-1826 - the mysterious "Reliquie" in C major (D 840) and the seductive G major (D 894) ones - compound the recording under consideration here. They are performed by an accomplished musician with a marked affinity for the Viennese musical treasures, a pianist always in excellent technical shape and spreading an inspiring mood - the great Japanese virtuoso Mitsuko Uchida. She completed no less than 8 CDs devoted to Schubert's keyboard output (sonatas, impromptus, moment musicaux, German dances, Scherzos, etc.) during no more than five years in her early fifties, at the peak of a refined craftsmanship. A few years ago Philips had the inspiration to release a single box set with all these individual recordings at a budget price ("Mitsuko Uchida plays Schubert").

I do consider that her very two CDs in the series both dating from 1997 (of which this one belongs, the other one comprising the two sets of Impromptus), are the most exquisite of all, on both stylistic and conveying levels since none of the 8 CDs can be considered less than flawless on technical level. Here the listener is overwhelmed by a profoundly lyrical mood (see for instance the second movement of the "Relic" Sonata or the soaring Andante in the Sonata-Fantasy in G major). I is paired by a light-hearted vivacity in the playful finale - Allegretto - of the G major Sonata! The required grace of the phrasing is over there, the delicacy of the touch acting quite evocatively leads to dreamy sound (this latter quality won't be so generously found in the later recordings of the series). The keen sense of melody provides Uchida's approach with a welcome singing quality. This is what makes her rendition as a superb Schubertian memento. Recommended to all piano lovers!