Somewhat studied but always musical Schubert
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/10/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If this entire CD recital of two great Schubert piano sonatas were as good as the opening Allegro of D. 850, Uchida would have made one of the best Schubert recordings in a long time. In that movement she shows none of her all-too-characteristic self-consciousness, giving a whirlwind reading full of natural brio. But as the outer movements progress, she does fall into her studied manner, and the second sonata, D. 784, could use a good deal more vigor and less holding back for the sake of extra nuance. Despite this, there is no doubt that Uchida is remarkably musical. I intend to enjoy this CD one sonata at a time, which seems to be the best way to apreciate her fine-grained approach without growing tired of it."
Fine Recording of These Two Schubert Piano Sonatas But......
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/27/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Much to my amazement, Philips recorded this fine CD in the great hall of Vienna's Musikverein, offering some of the best, most realistic, sound I have heard for a recent classical piano recording. But this superb sound quality may not be a primary reason for those interested in acquiring this CD, which is, in of itself, an interesting study in contrasts between Schubert's most exuberant piano sonata (D major, D850) and most austere (A minor, D784). Distinguished pianist Mitsuko Uchida offers two compelling performances, especially of the D major sonata, which should be of interest to both her fans as well as passionate - and knowledgeable - students of Schubert's piano sonatas. But her performances will be infuriating to some listeners, since she tends to dramatize a bit too much, the accents present in Schubert's scores, especially in the D major sonata (Having heard both Alfred Brendel and Paul Badura-Skoda perform this sonata live in concert, I will note that I have more of a preference for their lyrical interpretations, which are quite dissimilar from each other, and yet, in their own distinctive ways, quite compelling.). Still, I hope that others will agree with me that Uchida has offered her own, thoughtful, interpretations of each score, which should be considered as noteworthy as those I've heard live or in recordings from Brendel, Badura-Skoda and the late, great Wilhelm Kempff. So I will concur with others, most notably the Penguin Guide, that this fine recording should not be regarded as a definitive recording of either sonata; however, it is one well worth listening."