- Audio CD (Mar 17 2008)
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Philips
- ASIN: B000058BGZ
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#14,428 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
- #51 in Music > Classical > Chamber Music > By Period > Modern & 20th Century
- #58 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Sonatas
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Product Details |
Track Listings
| 1. Concerto For Piano, Op.42 - Schoenberg |
| 2. Variations, Op.27 - Webern |
| 3. Three Piano Pieces, Op.11 - Schoenberg |
| 4. Six Little Piano Pieces, Op.19 - Schoenberg |
| 5. Piano Sonata, Op.1 - Berg |
Product Description
From Amazon.co.uk
Anyone who thinks 12-note serialism is hard on the brain and painful to the ears should listen to the outstanding Schoenberg: Piano Concerto from Mitsuko Uchida. Here are its three great exponents--Schoenberg, the original master, and his two first pupils, Webern and Berg--and you couldn't wish for a more sustained feast of beauty. For this quality, of course, we have the pianist herself to thank: Uchida's trademark fastidiousness was never better employed. When you think her playing is at its softest possible level, she takes it even softer, so that the gentle thudding of the hammers falling back into their beds becomes part of the experience. Schoenberg's early pieces are intimate gems, and his concerto is a majestic comment on wartime realities. Webern's variations reveal him in his visionary guise. Berg's sonata--which still half-dwells in the realm of 19th-century tonalism--is marked by a mellow lyricism. And despite their manifest individualities, all three composers here speak the same pianistic language: in Uchida it has its best conceivable interpreter. --Michael Church
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing, right-on performance,
By "serialist" (OR) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Concerto; 3 Klavierstucke op. 11; 6 Klavierstucke op. 19 / Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op.1 / Webern: Variations (Audio CD)
The first recording I heard of the Schoenberg concerto was the live Glenn Gould performance with the CBC Symphony (a great recording, despite drastic ensemble problems). Ever since then, all performances were a let down, until this one was released. Uchida gives a very intelligent performance of the piece, showing more clearly than in any other performance I've heard, the great emotional depth and romantic quality of the music. The difference is clear right from the beginning, when she unifies the opening piano solo into one coherent, beautiful thought. And the quality of sound is far superior to that of the Gould recording.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting Performance!,
By
This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Concerto; 3 Klavierstucke op. 11; 6 Klavierstucke op. 19 / Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op.1 / Webern: Variations (Audio CD)
I've heard two recordings of this work in the past and thought it was just ugly music. Then I heard this incredible performance. It is so clear, so precise, so exciting! I will listen to it again and again. This is the one to buy. It's wonderful!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Work,
By Jack Jones (Woodland Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Arnold Schoenberg: Piano Concerto; 3 Klavierstucke op. 11; 6 Klavierstucke op. 19 / Alban Berg: Piano Sonata Op.1 / Webern: Variations (Audio CD)
If you're a fan of Schoenberg in general, or the piano concerto in particular, there is no need to hesitate with this wonderful recording. This may be my favorite 20th century piece and it's certainly the version I like best. Previously my top contender (now sadly out of print) was Pollini with Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. It is another great version worth hearing, my only real complaint there being that you can hear the numerous edits where they cut and pasted the performance together. That problem does not exist here with Boulez and Uchida. The piano concerto is a dense, contrapuntal work and Boulez makes sure that none of the parts get lost. Uchida's playing is superb, concise yet emotional. The Cleveland Orchestra shows no strain even in this works difficult passages. The only thing that strikes me negatively about this Uchida/Boulez version is that the second movement seems a bit fast to me but it works.For those who are not yet fans of Schoenberg, this is a great place to start. I see the piano concerto as the highlight of Schoenberg's 12-tone output, though some would argue for Variations for Orchestra, op. 31. What attracts me to his music is that Schoenberg, more than being the post-Romantic composer evident in his first ten tonal published works, is really a "hyper"-Romantic. Bigger than life, rich orchestrations, sweeping melodies and thick harmony. And though he has the firmest command of music theory, structure, etc., it is the emotional impact of this piece that really shines through for me. By using 12-tone harmony he is able to change moods on a dime and can express horror and delight in ways tonal music cannot. In addition to the concerto you get hear his first atonal piece, a great op. 11, the short but wonderful op. 19, and the two main solo piano works of his well-known students Webern and Berg. The Webern is a masterwork in balance and is fantastic here. I now own two copies of the Berg and it still doesn't strike me, but perhaps in time. This is a great cd.
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