Mitsuko Uchida, I don't like her playing at all

[mmro]

I don't like Uchida's playing, specially her mozart amd beethoven. I have recordings of some of the sonatas and concertos and I just don't know why everyone likes her some much. For me they lack expression, there's no emotion in it, sounds robotic to me. It's like she tries so hard to make every note sound perfectly that it looses credibility, ends up sounding false to me. I'm not sure if i explain myself....

Is anyone else with me?

[kyliec]

Mitsuko Uchida is my favorite Mozart interpreter... I see her playing as subtle and understated rather than emotionless. She pays attention to each nuance in the music but never to the extent it sounds contrived.
Kylie

[soderlund]

I agree completely with kyliec. Her playing of Mozart is really something. It sounds easy... I have played some Mozart, and I thought I did pretty well until I compared myself with her recordings. I actually saw her live, which was also very nice. I don't know her Beethoven though, so I can't say anything about that.

[a-sharp]

Ditto the last 2 posts. However, I have seen a DVD of her, and I find some of her gestures a little "extreme" - but who cares. Her Mozart is beautiful...

[nyonyo]

MMRO,

Whom do you like for Mozart? I am curious to know what style you like.

[db05]

I have only one recording of hers. From one of my Mozart CDs, Sonata in K545. I'll tell you a story. My friend wanted to learn this sonata, so I lent her the said CD. She texted me saying she didn't like the first movement, felt too slow. So I lent her my Walter Klien CD. She liked it a lot better.

Normally, I don't care about Mozart, but I was curious as to why that is, so when I took both CDs back, I took both recordings of the sonata, and another one by Glenn Gould. Played each movement side by side, and took note of which ones I preferred.

For my friend, it was Walter Klien all the way, except that she didn't hear the Glenn Gould version.

My choices:
1st mvt - Klien
2nd mvt - Uchida
3rd mvt - combination

General comments:
Uchida's playing was very subtle, which is sometimes good, sometimes bad for me. Hence, Andante goes to her, no question. Klien plays like I expect. Few surprises. Gould, in contrast has many surprises. I think on some odd days, I'd like the whole thing by Glenn Gould, because his interpretation is interesting. However, I find his Allegro too Vivace.

These are all the samples I've listened to of the said sonata. I can't compare it to my senior's or my friend's playing because I don't remember their versions for too long (not memorable enough).

And like I said, I have no other recordings of Uchida. But I have complete Mozart piano sonatas by Klien, and 2 CDs of sonatas by Gould. I did not buy them, my uncle did.

[mmro]

Nyonyo, Annie Fishcer is my favorite mozart interpreter of all time. Her recordings of mozart concertos are legendary. Listen her recording of concerto 21 (with busoni's cadenza) and you'll be blown away.

I also like Clara Haskil and Vladimir Horowitz

[alessandro]

With you MMRO ! Uchida is not my type, indeed.
And I have the handicap that when I don't like one thing of somebody I find it hard to appreciate other things in that person in general...  There's no doubt she has technique, but I feel not much.   I was really "flabbergasted" (is there an other modern word for that ?) when I heard her Ginasteras' Danzas Argentinas.  If you don't feel the music, the spirit, the soul of that music, why record it ? One could understand that one records something to give a new perspective to the music, that she plays it with a new point of view, but that (Swiss) recording is so disappointing, so totally 'wrong', I'm not over it yet.  Apparently I should listen to Mozart to get over it, but I'm not a big Mozart fan neither, yet...

[nyonyo]

Nyonyo, Annie Fishcer is my favorite mozart interpreter of all time. Her recordings of mozart concertos are legendary. Listen her recording of concerto 21 (with busoni's cadenza) and you'll be blown away.

I also like Clara Haskil and Vladimir Horowitz

MMRO,

Ok, I now know your taste. Uchida's style is simplicity and not romantized style. She has her own beauty. But I myself like to romantize Mozart Sonatas so when I play I like to be more like Horowitz' style.