Uchida: Mozart Piano Sonatas K. 280 - K. 283 (r 1987) - Philips 420 188-1 (DDD)

$

53

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This outstanding LP from Philips (420 188-1, Dutch pressing, silver/red label, DDD stereo) features Mitsuko Uchida in sublime accounts of 4 Mozart's Piano Sonatas, all beautifully recorded in the warm acoustics of Henry Wood Hall, London in July 1987.

The exact contents are as follows:

Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Major K. 280

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat Major K. 281

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major K. 282

Piano Sonata No. 5 in G Major K. 283

These performances received the coveted Rosette (a) from the ubiquitous Penguin Guide, and the highly regarded critic, pianist, and composer Jed Distler, writing for ClassicsToday.com, opined:

"Early in her international career, Mitsuko Uchida gained renown for playing Mozart, garnering acclaim for her complete recorded cycles of the composer's concertos and sonatas for the Philips label. The sonatas were recorded between 1983 and 1987 and reissued as part of the label's 1991 complete Mozart edition. Its present budget-priced incarnation is well worth your consideration. Connoisseurs of rarified Mozart pianism will be pleased to rediscover (as I did) the sparkling symmetry and ultra-precision of Uchida's fingerwork, the fortepiano-like ping of her sonority, her impeccable tempo choices (the effortless flow between sections in the K. 284 and K. 311 sonatas' variation movements, for instance), and finely judged balances between hands. The latter quality serves the central slow movements in the earlier sonatas, especially regarding Uchida's subtle shaping of the left-hand Alberti bass accompaniments.

"Cyclical Mozart sonata contenders like Lili Kraus, Andras Schiff, Klara Würtz, and Claudio Arrau might make more of the music's operatic impulses and dramatic undercurrents (Schiff's imaginative ornaments remain a strong selling point), however, that takes nothing away from Uchida's subtle, pinpointed, and stylish mastery, which operates at higher levels of musical and technical refinement than we hear from Ingrid Haebler's competing space-saving budget-box Mozart sonata cycle on the same label. In short, a solid thumbs up for bargain hunting Mozart lovers and, of course, for Uchida fans."

There are superlative liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by producer Erik Smith, printed in English, German, French, and Italian. The lovely cover photo of Uchida was taken by Christian Steiner.

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the jacket is EXCELLENT. There is slight wear at corners, but really that is all. There are no seamsplits, owners’ markings, or other defects, and the jacket remains perfectly solid, bright, glossy, and highly attractive – overall, a lovely collector’s copy.

The condition of the LP is near-MINT and playback is superb – overall, a truly fine collector's copy.

PLEASE NOTE:
This LP has been carefully cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine. All LPs are provided with a new Nagaoka (or Nagaoka-style) inner sleeve. The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!

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