Decca Releases Mitsuko Uchida Recording, 1/11

More than fifteen years since her last recording of works by Schumann, Dame Mitsuko Uchida returns to the composer for her all-new recording, to be released on Decca on January 11, 2011.  The recording, in a deluxe package prestige edition, features Davidsbündlertänze op.6 and Fantasie in C major, op.17 as well as a bonus disc of Uchida speaking with James Jolly about Schumann and demonstrating on the piano.
 
Mitsuko Uchida's last recording of Schumann (on Philips and featuring Carnaval and Kreisleriana) was released just over 15 years ago and went on to receive considerable critical and popular acclaim.  Returning to Schumann once again, Uchida records both works for the first time.  Written after Schumann was reconnected with his beloved, Clara - whose father determined she should never marry him - the Davidsbündlertänze are at once an outpouring of Schumann's feelings for her and a struggle between the two sides of the composer's own musical nature. Fantasie is a deeply introspective soliloquy, beautifully reflected through the emotional complexity of Mitsuko Uchida's pianism.
 
Mitsuko Uchida records exclusively for Decca. She is renowned for her intelligent and sensitive interpretations not only of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, but also of the music of Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and Boulez. Her recording of the Schoenberg Piano Concerto with Pierre Boulez and The Cleveland Orchestra won four awards, including the Gramophone Award for "Best Concerto", while her recording of Beethoven's Sonatas opp. 101 and 106 won two BBC Music Magazine Awards 2008 in the categories "Disc of the Year" and "Instrumentalist of the Year". Her discography includes the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas and Piano Concertos, the complete Schubert Piano Sonatas, the five Beethoven Piano Concertos with Kurt Sanderling, and the last five Beethoven Piano Sonatas. In 2008 she released Berg's Chamber Concerto with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez and Christian Tetzlaff and in 2009 Mozart's Piano Concertos nos. 23 and 24 with The Cleveland Orchestra, which she conducted from the piano, and which was recently nominated for a Grammy.
 
Before embarking on a US recital tour (*) that will include performances of Davidsbündlertänze, Uchida will perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 3 with the Saito Kinen Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor Seiji Ozawa as part of Carnegie Hall's JapanNYC festival.
 
12/14/2010 - Carnegie Hall, NY (Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 3)
1/18/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Recital)*
1/21/2011 - Chapel Hill, NC (Recital)*
1/27-2/1/2011 - Chicago, IL (Mozart Concertos nos. 11 & 21)
2/3-8/2011 - Chicago, IL (Schumann Piano Concerto)
2/11/2011 - Carnegie Hall, NY (Recital)*
2/14/2011 - Cleveland, OH (Recital)*