Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 8 & 9

Approfondimenti

The so-called Originals series (Walter Benjamin must be turning over in his grave) of "legendary performances" on the Decca label has been re-releasing pianist Mitsuko Uchida's set of Mozart piano concertos as single, mid-priced discs, and they're well worth trying out, whether you're a newcomer or someone who owns several versions. The virtues of Uchida's playing are the ones classically associated with Mozart: grace, fluidity, restraint, and a certain playful quality. Those are all on display in these performances of Mozart concertos from the 1770s, early in the composer's career. Uchida's style is more concerned with small details than with large spaces, and this puts her somewhat out of the mainstream in a work like the Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271 -- many performances recorded since the 1992 date of Uchida's version have emphasized the way a vast architecture suddenly appeared in the mind of the young composer. Still, there are many lovely details, often connected to Uchida's way of bringing out the various wrinkles in the concerto's left-hand parts. The smaller and less significant Piano Concerto No. 8 in C major, K. 246, composed in 1776, fares especially well under Uchida's fingers. Sample the beginning of the third-movement minuet-rondo for a slice of Uchida at her elfin and utterly charming best. The backing by the English Chamber Orchestra under Jeffrey Tate is circumspect, very smooth, and in tune with Uchida's low-key yet sparkling conceptions. If you want to try out one Uchida Mozart concerto, a lyrical work like the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, may be slightly preferable, but this pair is certainly of top quality. The remastering of the 1992 sound retains the clarity of the original.

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