Uchida on Music!
Mitsuko Uchida is one of my favorite pianists! Yes… she was originally best known for her Mozart interpretations; and her amazing training as a young girl in Vienna, while her father was the Japanese Ambassador to Austria, had a profound influence on her capabilities as an artist.
Now Ms. Uchida is a world-class pianist, and her repertoire ranges from Bach, through the classical music of Haydn, Mozart Beethoven, Schubert, and Schuman to her “French side” which includes Ravel, Debussy, and others.
In the following interview, she tells us more about Robert Schumann as a composer; and also about the amazing influence that his wife, Clara, had on him and on his expressiveness in his music. It is really moving to see the great passion for music on the part of an artist like Mitsuko Uchida. That is the stuff that keeps music alive and exciting for us all.
Here is the interview:
If you’d like to delve more deeply into Uchida’s artistry, consider the purchase of the CD shown in the photo, as a sampler of her repertoire:
These selections show Uchida at her best, from her dynamically – charged Mozart A Minor Sonata (K. 310) and D Minor Concerto (K. 466) to the fire with which she interprets Schoenberg’s Six Little Pieces and a handful of Debussy Etudes. Beethoven’s C Minor Variations and same-key Schubert Impromptu have rarely sounded so purposefully bleak, while Schubert’s Third and Fourth Impromptus from D. 899 and the Moments Musicaux Number 3 are played so exquisitely beautiful. In all, Uchida’s stimulating musicianship and astounding keyboard mastery are always there for our admiration.
Tags: Mitsuko Uchida, interview, Schumann, Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg