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L.V. Beethoven-Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos

Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos [CD]
~ L.V. Beethoven

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Product Reviews

When does the incandescent become ephemeral? When does the evanescent become artificial? When do the expertly crafted, the gracefully sculpted, and the radiantly beautiful become simply a matter of style and taste? It is impossible to say for certain. For some listeners, Mitsuko Uchida's recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos with Kurt Sanderling conducting either the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra or the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks will be the epitome of aesthetic pleasure. For others, her performances will be instantly forgettable. Uchida certainly has the clear tone, the strong technique, and the necessary heroic-poetic sensibility to play Beethoven's concertos, and Sanderling surely has the depth, the soul, and the experience to conduct Beethoven's concertos, but they don't seem to touch either each other or the music, much less the eternal in Beethoven's music. The witty humor of the First, the easy elegance of the Second, the powerful drama of the Third, the serene lyricism of the Fourth, and the Apollonian majesty of the Fifth seem missing from their performances together, and, although they are pleasant enough while they're playing, when they're over, they're gone and forgotten. Philips' '90s piano sound is as clear, lucid, and warm as its '60s and '70s piano sound, that is to say, as good as the best ever made. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Product Notes

Along with her Mozart and Schubert performances, Mitsuko Uchida has won worldwide acclaim for her dynamic Beethoven recordings. She's playing a lotta Ludwig in concert these days; these 1994-98 recordings find her mastering all five of Beethoven's piano concertos as well as 32 Piano Variations in C Minor on an Original Theme . Hours of brilliant performances!

Classical Data

193:19
Concerto
Classical
Mitsuko Uchida
Japan
Mitsuko Uchida, a thoughtful and iconoclastic pianist, was born in Tokyo in 1948. She began her studies in piano during childhood. Her parents, who were diplomats, moved to Austria when Uchida was 12, and she enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music. Even at this young age, Uchida rebelled against the conventional wisdom her teachers tried to impart. She wished to exercise her own judgment in performance, and the Academy did not want to let her. Judges at competitions, on the other hand, liked her judgment, giving her the second prize at the Beethoven Competition in 1968 and another second prize at the prestigous Chopin Competition in 1970. Uchida, however, was dissatisfied with her playing and retired from the competition circuit. Her career built up mostly through word of mouth during the 1970s. During the 1980s, Uchida built up a particular reputation as a Mozart interpreter -- ironic for someone who did not like Mozart's music when studying it at the Vienna Academy. She received notice for outstanding performances of the Mozart sonatas in London and Tokyo in 1982, and recorded a universally acclaimed set of the complete sonatas for Philips. Uchida also appeared as soloist and conductor with the English Chamber Orchestra in a cycle of the complete Mozart concerti during 1985-1986. She eventually recorded these for Philips as well, with the ECO conducted by Jeffrey Tate. Uchida, never one to rest on her laurels, moved into different repertoire during the 1990s, winning particular notice for her Debussy and Schubert solo piano recordings and her Beethoven concerti. She has also been a champion of the music of Schoenberg, Bart k and Berg, and often seeks to draw parallels between standard repertoire works and these modern masters. Like Martha Argerich, to whom she is sometimes compared, Uchida does not record or concertize prolifically. Uchida does not like to be pigeonholed, and often strikes out on her own path; for example, she and a piano technician spent two years transforming a piano into something she felt she could use for Schubert. Uchida then insisted that Philips put the technician's name on the back of the CD -- an unusual gesture. While serving as artist-in-residence with the Cleveland Orchestra (2002-2007), she again recorded Mozart concertos as soloist and conductor. She also has been artist-in-residence with the Berlin Philharmonic (2010), where she performed the Beethoven concertos with Simon Rattle, and serves as co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music Festival. While Uchida's interpretations generally sound fresh and spontaneous, these characteristics arise from reasoned and deliberate musical choices. Far from prolific, she is always thought-provoking. Uchida currently resides in London. ~ Andrew Lindemann Malone, Rovi
When does the incandescent become ephemeral? When does the evanescent become artificial? When do the expertly crafted, the gracefully sculpted, and the radiantly beautiful become simply a matter of style and taste? It is impossible to say for certain. For some listeners, Mitsuko Uchida's recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos with Kurt Sanderling conducting either the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra or the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks will be the epitome of aesthetic pleasure. For others, her performances will be instantly forgettable. Uchida certainly has the clear tone, the strong technique, and the necessary heroic-poetic sensibility to play Beethoven's concertos, and Sanderling surely has the depth, the soul, and the experience to conduct Beethoven's concertos, but they don't seem to touch either each other or the music, much less the eternal in Beethoven's music. The witty humor of the First, the easy elegance of the Second, the powerful drama of the Third, the serene lyricism of the Fourth, and the Apollonian majesty of the Fifth seem missing from their performances together, and, although they are pleasant enough while they're playing, when they're over, they're gone and forgotten. Philips' '90s piano sound is as clear, lucid, and warm as its '60s and '70s piano sound, that is to say, as good as the best ever made. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Details

L.V. Beethoven
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos
Classical & Opera
Classical Composers, Box Sets
11 October 2005
Ludwig Von Beethoven
Uchida (Pno) 3 Cd ~ Discs:3
Umgd/Philips ( PPHI )
Compact Disc
531002
Yes, Sale Ends 01 Jun 2012
Yes (additional shipping cost)
028947567578
This Item Can Only Be Shipped To United States Addresses. No International Export.

Track Listing

Track # Title
1. 1 I. Allegro Con Brio
1. 2 Ii. Largo
1. 3 Iii. Rond: Allegro Scherzando
1. 4 I. Allegro Con Brio
1. 5 Ii. Adagio
1. 6 Iii. Rondo: Molto Allegro
2. 1 I. Allegro Con Brio
2. 2 Ii. Largo
2. 3 Iii. Rondo: Allegro
2. 4 I. Allegro Moderato
2. 5 Ii. Andante Con Moto
2. 6 Iii. Rondo: Vivace
3. 1 I. Allegro
3. 2 Ii. Adagio Un Poco Mosso
3. 3 Iii. Rondo: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
3. 4 32 Variations On An Original Theme In C Minor, Woo 80
# Title
  * We do our best to maintain an accurate database, but errors occur. Please use this list as a guideline.

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