For the past fifteen
years, Mitsuko Uchida has been one of
the leading Mozart pianists in the world.
Her series of recordings of the complete
Mozart Piano Sonatas has received great
acclaim as have her recordings of all
the piano concertos. I consider Uchida
the best Mozart performing artist of
her generation; her ability to convey
the charm, playful nature, smooth lines,
and beauty of Mozart's music is exceptional.
In addition, her piano sonata recordings
inject an excitement to Mozart's outer
movements not found in any alternative
recordings.
Uchida's most recent
venture into Mozart's sound-world consists
of a disc of four sonatas for violin
and keyboard where she is partnered
by the excellent violinist Mark Steinberg.
The partnership is outstanding as the
dialogue between violin and piano clearly
resonates and each performer seems to
possess an innate sense of the other's
purpose. This is teamwork of the highest
order with conversational properties
second to none.
Perhaps the most distinctive
aspect of the performances is the excitement
generated in the Allegro movements.
I own many other discs of these works
including those from Zimmermann/Lonquich
on EMI, Szeryng/Haebler on Philips,
and Grumiaux/Klien on Philips as well
as period instrument accounts from Banchini/Vesselinova
on Harmonia Mundi, Schröder/Orkis
on Virgin Classics, and Luca/Bilson
on Nonesuch. None of them comes close
to projecting the drive and thrilling
experience of listening to Steinberg
and Uchida. With quicksilver tempos
and bold accenting, these two artists
offer proof that Mozart is much more
than transcendent melody lines and perfect
structure.
I certainly don't want
to give the impression that excitement
constitutes the only supreme reward
from the Uchida/Steinberg collaboration.
Their performance of the Sonata in E
minor, K 304 is ample evidence that
the duo also has a sure grasp on Mozart's
angst, despair and sweet refrains. The
two-movement E minor Sonata was composed
soon after Mozart's mother passed away,
and it is the bleakest work he wrote
for violin and piano. The 1st movement
Allegro is angry music that Uchida and
Steinberg play with great determination
as well as lyricism. As good as they
are in this movement, it is their 2nd
movement Tempo di menuetto where they
astound me with the intense sadness
of the first section and glowing optimism
and security of the central trio in
the key of E major. I can feel Mozart's
grief and love to the point where I
could almost sob, and that is a rare
emotion for this reviewer.
A few words about Mark
Steinberg's performance style. Although
he does not play a period violin, his
interpretations clearly are the result
of paying attention to historically
informed performance practices. His
tone is lean without any of the thick
vibrato so common from modern violins
but entirely inappropriate for Mozart's
music. I do prefer the pungent tones
of the period violin, but listening
to Steinberg almost makes me forget
the preference.
Any reservations? Just
one, and it's my common complaint about
piano sound that I refer to as having
the "flooded airport hangar effect":
too much wet air and reverberation.
I was able to make adjustments with
my audio controls and trusty equalizer
to minimize this effect, but it took
quite a few minutes to reach an agreeable
balance. Those of you with only bare-bones
audio equipment should consider the
strong possibility that your system
might not be capable of dampening the
"wet effect". I should also report that
these performances are available in
the SACD format where the piano sound
might take on different characteristics
from those in the CD format.
In conclusion, this
is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable
Mozart discs in recent years. Uchida
and Steinberg make a wonderful duo conveying
superlative dialogue, thrilling Allegros,
and the full measure of Mozart's dark
side. Although problematic piano sound
does detract from the production, the
excellence of the music and performances
cannot be sullied. For modern instrument
accounts of Mozart's Sonatas for Violin
and Piano, Uchida and Steinberg go to
the head of the class.
Don Satz
Mitsuko Uchida, piano 
