Enchanté: Magdalena Kožená and Mitsuko Uchida at Wigmore Hall

Mitsuko Uchida and Magdalena Kožená

Magdalena Kožená

By Roy Westbrook, 09 October 2023

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“a thrilling sound in this responsive acoustic”

Reviewed at Wigmore Hall, London on 8 October 2023

Debussy, Chansons de Bilitis

Debussy, 5 poèmes de Baudelaire

Debussy, Ariettes oubliées

Messiaen, Poèmes pour Mi, for solo voice (L’épouse)

Messiaen, Poèmes pour Mi, for solo voice (Ta voix)

Messiaen, Poèmes pour Mi, for solo voice (Les deux guerriers)

Messiaen, Poèmes pour Mi, for solo voice (Le collier)

Messiaen, Poèmes pour Mi, for solo voice (Prière exaucée)

Magdalena Kožená, Mezzo-soprano

Dame Mitsuko Uchida, Piano

Peerless Beethoven from Dame Mitsuko Uchida at Wigmore Hall

Vishnu Bachani, 12th October

Dame Mitsuko Uchida brings forth with crystal clarity Beethoven's masterful counterpoint and harmony in a recital of his last three piano sonatas.

****1

Uchida’s Beethoven meets Shostakovich’s farewell at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 23rd April

Two incongruent journeys conclude as Dame Mitsuko Uchida and the Boston Symphony meet in New York.

****1

Delicacy at the cost of spark: Mitsuko Uchida with the Mahler CO

Mengguang Huang, 26th January

While Uchida’s performances showcase remarkable precision and refinement, they occasionally feel restrained, leaving room to explore the improvisatory charm that make Mozart’s music so compelling.

***11

Philadelphia Orchestra delivers memorable Carnegie Hall finale

Susan Stempleski, 31st May

In their final Carnegie Hall appearance of the season, the Philadelphians offered a superbly integrated program bookending a Valerie Coleman premiere with groundbreaking pieces by Ravel and Debussy.

****1

Magic and solemnity: Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Susan Stempleski, 28th March

Mitsuko Uchida and the MCO continue their exploration of Mozart’s piano concertos and the players deliver a polished New York premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Chorale Quartet.

****1

The Philharmonia at home with Beethoven, at sea with Sibelius

David Karlin, 25th January

A concert of two halves: the Philharmonia and Dame Mitsuko Uchida light up Beethoven with the essence of Classical style, but the orchestra struggles in Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite.

***11

More reviews...

Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.