Schubert: Piano Sonata in E-flat major, D. 568, 6 Moments musicaux

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Mitsuko Uchida's slowly evolving Schubert cycle continues to thrill and scintillate with every new volume. At first glance, the works here might seem less essential than some of her previous offerings: an early (and infrequently played) sonata and the endlessly recorded Moments musicaux. However, just a few minutes' listening will soon persuade you otherwise. Schubert may have been only 20 when he penned this E-flat Sonata, but in Uchida's hands its expansive four-movement form is a perfect delight. She finds an ideally dancing lilt for the opening Allegro, not allowing the moments of drama to overshadow the movement's sunny disposition. In the melancholy Andante molto, Uchida offers a consoling warmth, while there are depths revealed in her traversal of the finale that many other pianists skate over. Indeed, it is Uchida's ability to illuminate the music from within that makes her such a great interpreter of this repertoire. Here, she leaves you wondering why the sonata isn't played more often--and there's no higher praise than that. And though there are more than enough recordings of the Moments musicaux already available, Uchida's is right up there with the best. Again, she manages to cast new light on these overexposed little charmers. The whole experience is enhanced by a wonderfully warm, natural recording and interesting and informative notes. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-05-15

Schubert was a phenomenal composer. This set of CD's is now one of my most treasured possessions. His last sonata is almost 45 min long, an epic peice. Not for one second does Uchida's playing slow; she holds you completely engrossed in music so beautiful.

The sound quality is superb, the playing dense in personality and detail. As the previous reviewer mentioned, anyone interested in the piano, Uchida or Schubert this is a must have masterpeice.

Days and Evenings with Schubert and Uchida.......2006-01-31

Mitsuko Uchida is one of the major stars of the piano keyboard today and while her repertoire is wide, her interpretation of Franz Schubert's piano music is among the finest both on the concert stage and on recording. The two seem to be from the same soul: Uchida somehow finds the spiritual core of Schubert and traverses the hurdles of his Olympian pieces with complete ease and assurance.

This 8 CD set includes three sets of Impromptus (D899, 935, 946), Moments musicaux D780, German Dances D 820 an D790, and the Piano Sonatas numbers 4, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The placing of these works on the individual CDs creates a series of eight recitals and each disc is rich and satisfying. Playing all eight CDs in one day makes for one of the most rewarding musical experiences available.

The recorded sound is superb and Uchida is in top form for each selection. This is fine as Schubert gets and the entire set is more than well worth the relatively modest price. For lovers of the piano, of Mitsuko Uchida, and of Schubert this is zenith release. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

Schubert: Piano Sonata, D568; Moments Musicaux, D780

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Piano Sonata, D568; Moments Musicaux, D780
Mitsuko Uchida , and Franz Schubert
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Berlioz: Harold in Italy; Overtures [Hybrid SACD]
Vivaldi: Flute Concertos
Mozart: Piano & Violin Sonatas [Hybrid SACD]
Rachmaninov: Moments musicaux [Hybrid SACD]
Pletnev Plays Schumann [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B000079BG9
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Average customer rating:

One of the best of the Masterworks series
Will not buy this
Worth it!
Great way to jumpstart a schubert collection
Better to Pick a Few First-rate Performances

Schubert: The Masterworks [Box Set]

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ecossaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Magnificats | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Blowout Box Sets | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

More Titles at Least 20% Off | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music

Brilliant Classics | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mendelssohn: The Masterworks [Box Set]
Dvorák: The Masterworks [Box Set]
Handel: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Brahms: The Masterworks (Box Set)
Haydn: The Masterworks [Box Set]

ASIN: B00062FLJC
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Customer Reviews:

One of the best of the Masterworks series.......2007-07-06

Brilliant Classics' "Masterworks" series, if you can get them cheaply (and currently they go for about $1/CD from Amazon's France Web site), are a great way to amass a significant library of the works of several great computers. The production values and the performances themselves are uneven, and the interpretations are not always historically-informed (unlike the bulk of Brilliant's "Complete Editions" of the works of Bach and Mozart). But there are numerous gems in the rough in The Masterworks, and the economic value is unsurpassed, even if you were to throw away half of the CDs in each set.

You're unlikely to throw away much of this Schubert collection though. This seems to be the finest of the Masterworks sets, with a succession of solid, often first-rate performances of most of the major Schubert works. Here's what you get:

- The symphonies, performed by The Hanover Band in a historically-informed style. Very interesting performances perhaps marred by an odd recording balance that makes the woodwinds sound distant. Takes up four CDs
- The six Latin masses. Also the Deutsche Messe in the version with wind instruments. Five CDs in all
- Edison Denisov's completion of Schubert's unfinished dramatic work Lazarus (2 CDs, Helmuth Rilling's premier recording)
- The last four string quartets (including the Quartettsatz) with #9 thrown in. Also the octet, piano quintet ("The Trout"), string quintet and both piano trios. In short all the canonical chamber works. Performances are strong, and well recorded
- Two CDs of violin/piano duets, including Op. 137 and Op. 162
- 19 of the 21 "canonical" piano sonatas (missing #7 and #12) as well as the Moments Musicaux, Impromptus, German Dances, Wanderer Fantasy and several other piano works, 11 CDs in all. As with the chamber music, the performances and recordings are strong, often stunning
- Two CDs of piano duets, including the Divertissements and D. 617
- Song cycles: Die Schöne Müllerin, Winterreise, Schwanengesang, and four CDs of standalone songs, including such "standards" as Erlkönig and Gretchen am Spinnrade. The singers are a bit uneven here, ranging from standouts Robert Holl, Deitrich Fischer-Dieskau and John Shirley-Quirk to the somewhat shrill Arleen Augér

Missing from the collection is Rosamunde, and a number of famous songs: Die Forelle (The Trout), Death and the Maiden, Ellens Gesang III (the so-called Ave Maria, D. 839), Der Hirt auf dem Felsen and Der Wanderer. But you do have almost all the important instrumental works, and most of the vocal works generally considered to be essential, with some padding added in the form of minor works such as the parochial Deutsche Messe, the German Dances, and the modernist-informed completion of Lazarus by the 20th Century Russian composer Denisov.

As with the other Masterworks sets, there are no program notes. You'll need to do your own research. Answers.com is a good starting point for Schubert compositions. There are also no song texts or translations provided, so again you'll need to track down your own. Try "The Lied and Art Song Texts Page" for lieder lyrics and translations. Hunt down a good price on this collection, browsing one of Amazon's European sites if necessary, and treat yourself to many hours of lovely music for the cost of a modest night out.

Will not buy this.......2007-03-16

I can't see D965 or D945 on this 40 disks worth of Schubert. Bizarre! There are so many great songs missing it scares me.

Worth it!.......2006-12-19

One of the best in "The Masterpices" series. Many of the discs (the symphonies in particular) were licensed from Nimbus and other full-line labels. Not all that long ago these discs would have set you back $18 to $20 a piece. That said, I still wouldn't part with my Hyperion collection. 40 CD's at this price... you can't go wrong.

Great way to jumpstart a schubert collection.......2006-12-19

Hartmut Holl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Stephanie Brown, and Jaime Laredo as well as the Stuttgart Bach Collegium performing Schubert are hardly "left-behind artists and ensembles" as the previous naysayer states. These are licensed from major label releases and from the original masters issued at a bargain price, especially for the number of discs you get. Sound quality ranges from good to excellent. Good for all Schubertians and anyone who wants to jumpstart a Schubert collection.

Better to Pick a Few First-rate Performances.......2006-11-14

This is a bargain in dollar/listening time ratio, but who cares? There are many second-rate performances by left-behind artists and ensembles. Obviously the economics of resurrecting disks that don't require royalties has been the driving factor of selection. (On the other hand, the complete edition boxed sets of Bach and Mozart, which you'll find if you look, are stupendous successes artistically.)

Schubert: Piano Sonata in E-flat major, D. 568, 6 Moments musicaux

Average customer rating:

Very nice interpretation
Uchida is Transcendent
Poetic Schubert
A blithe performance with careful chiaroscuro

Schubert: Piano Sonata in E-flat major, D. 568, 6 Moments musicaux

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Schubert Piano Sonatas D845 & D575
Schubert: Piano Sonatas
Sonatas / German Dances
Schubert: Piano Sonata D. 960/3 Klavierstücke D. 946
Schubert: Impromptus

ASIN: B00005Y358
Release Date: 2002-03-12

Tracks:

Piano Sonata in E Flat Major, D568: I Allegro Moderato
Piano Sonata in E Flat Major, D568: II Andante Molto
Piano Sonata in E Flat Major, D568: III Menuetto: Allegretto
Piano Sonata in E Flat Major, D568: IV Allegro Moderato
Moments Musicaux, D780: I Moderato
Moments Musicaux, D780: II Andantino
Moments Musicaux, D780: III Allegretto Moderato
Moments Musicaux, D780: IV Moderato
Moments Musicaux, D780: V Allegro Vivace
Moments Musicaux, D780: VI Allegretto

Amazon.com

Mitsuko Uchida's slowly evolving Schubert cycle continues to thrill and scintillate with every new volume. At first glance, the works here might seem less essential than some of her previous offerings: an early (and infrequently played) sonata and the endlessly recorded Moments musicaux. However, just a few minutes' listening will soon persuade you otherwise. Schubert may have been only 20 when he penned this E-flat Sonata, but in Uchida's hands its expansive four-movement form is a perfect delight. She finds an ideally dancing lilt for the opening Allegro, not allowing the moments of drama to overshadow the movement's sunny disposition. In the melancholy Andante molto, Uchida offers a consoling warmth, while there are depths revealed in her traversal of the finale that many other pianists skate over. Indeed, it is Uchida's ability to illuminate the music from within that makes her such a great interpreter of this repertoire. Here, she leaves you wondering why the sonata isn't played more often--and there's no higher praise than that. And though there are more than enough recordings of the Moments musicaux already available, Uchida's is right up there with the best. Again, she manages to cast new light on these overexposed little charmers. The whole experience is enhanced by a wonderfully warm, natural recording and interesting and informative notes. --Harriet Smith

Customer Reviews:

Very nice interpretation.......2007-07-09

I got the CD because I had no edition of Schubert's D568 piano sonata. Mitsouko Uchida's rendition is very good, intense and clear. The Moments musicaux are even better. I have listened to her live and think she is one of the most interesting pianist of her generation

Uchida is Transcendent.......2005-04-03

The piano works of Franz Schubert are some of the most personal works in the literature. Mitsuko Uchida, now considered the premiere interpreter of Schubert's Sonatas and other works for the piano, here performs quiet magic with the E-flat major sonata. Her warmth and attention to the inner melodic lines which Schubert develops so completely make this recording have the feeling we are in a private performance, and part of that must be attributed to the fine engineering by Philips. This sonata is not thundering Schubert, but instead is a work by the young Schubert just beginning to explore his gifts.

Coupled with this fairly short sonata (about thirty minutes in Uchida's hands) is accompanied by a reading of the beloved 'Moments musicaux' in as beautiful a performance as has been captured on recording. Uchida emphasizes the song quality of these pieces, as though setting the stage for the many later song cycles for voice and piano Schubert would write and Uchida would work in collaboration! This is elegant music for quiet moments, for private introspection. A stunning CD. Grady Harp, April 05

Poetic Schubert.......2005-03-28

This CD, containing the less frequently played Eb Piano Sonata, D.568 and the 6 Moments musicaux, D.780, is poetic, searching and beautifully played. Unlike her recording of the D major and lesser A minor sonatas, which I felt were over-interpreted to the music's detriment, Uchida lets the music speak for itself.

Highly recommended.

A blithe performance with careful chiaroscuro.......2003-06-03

The two main pieces performed in this CD precisely convey the sense of pleasure of intuitive listening. The combination of Schubert's jaunty notes and Uchida's freer interpretation makes this CD less formalistically didactic but more fun of listening. The playing is free,fluid, but careful of brushing out the emotional contrast as the piano sketches every sonic nuances. Though,it's (a bit) mechanically blithe (as some critics suggest), it seems that Uchida's personal interprertation of Schubertian intuitive composition is stylisticall justifiable!