Acclaimed pianist plays Beethoven
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida’s upcoming recital at the Athens Concert Hall tomorrow is addressed not only to piano lovers but also to all those seeking the essence of music. The acclaimed soloist was born in Japan, studied in Vienna and lives in London. Her performances combine the aesthetic traditions of all the countries in which she has lived, while she also aspires to express the deeper feeling within the works she plays. Uchida’s concert, a tribute to Beethoven, will start with the composer’s «6 Bagatelles,» Op. 126.» Beethoven composed these works around the end of 1823 and they each have their own features. The program will then continue with his Piano Sonata, Op. 101, which he wrote at a time he was battling serious health problems. The sonata is dedicated to Baroness Dorotea Ertmann, a pianist from Vienna who remained a close friend of the great composer until his death. The recital will end with his Piano Sonata No. 29 in B Flat Major, Op. 106, the celebrated «Hammerklavier.» When Beethoven finished composing this sonata, he confessed to a friend that at last he felt he knew how to write music. Uchida is well known for her interpretations of works by Mozart and Schubert – both live and in recordings – as well as for introducing the music of Alban Berg, Pierre Boulez, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern to a new generation. Her recording of Schoenberg’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Cleveland Orchestra, under the baton of Pierre Boulez, received four awards including from Gramophone magazine for best concerto. During the past two years Uchida has been giving recitals featuring Beethoven’s last five piano sonatas.
