Mitsuko Uchida in Cleveland

[ramseytheii]

Mitsuko Uchida is in Cleveland to play and conduct two Mozart concertos with the Orchestra.  She gave an open rehearsal on Thursday morning, and then participated in an open discussion with students afterwards.
The first question was about her career progression.  She told us that she performed starting from the age of 14, but only very little, as her parents were overprotective and didn't believe she would be a musician.  She got with management at the age of 23 or 24, but said it didn't work out, and she played in a few competitions (she didn't specify which, or if she won any prizes.  Anybody know?)  and finally, made a change of management and has been with that person or organization ever since.
Interestingly, she said her maximum number of concerts a year is 50, and that includes orchestra, solo and chamber concerts.  She claimed she is "not that talented," and has to work much harder than other people.
At the age of 27, she finally became "comfortable" with her piano sound ("It's never too late") and presumably around that time her career really took off.  She encouraged everyone to dispense with too technical thinking, not exactly a new thought I know but she expresses everything with originality and is very inspirational.  She shared with us her love of music from Bach to Mozart to Schoenberg to Messiaen!

Walter Ramsey

[andrewg]

She won 1st prize in Beethoven in 1969, 2nd prize in Chopin competition, Warsaw in 1970.

[alessandro]

I never understood why Miss Uchida recorded Ginasteras (a Swiss recording).  It's like... an eskimo dancing the salsa.

[ramseytheii]

Disappointingly, she also remarked that Rachmaninoff only composed "show pieces," adding rather passively-aggressively, "But if you relate to that spirit than fine."
Another misguided voice in the complete mis-understanding of this great composer, whose lineage is not the empty glitter of Rimsky-Korsakov and the stultifying sequences of Tchaikovsky, but the contrapuntal and rhythmic genius of Bach, and the limpid, flexible fluidity of melody and accompaniment of Chopin.  Yes, his music can show off technical achievements, but anyone who chooses to ignore the music has no business making such comments!

Walter Ramsey