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I have listened to M Uchida play Mozart with ECO and other European orchestras for years.
Recently obtained a copy of her playing 9 and 21 with Cleveland. Are these live and edited to remove sounds noises and applause? Like pbarach suggested?
The performances are pretty pretty good, she is not a babe, but plays like a European (which she is in training and culture). The orchestra really blooms in 21. However, her style and conducting almost force them to play smoothly, imho, not chamber like. Glimpses only of what the orchestra can really do occasionally emerge. Sound is smooth (again).
What do you think?
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I've heard all of her Mozart concerto recordings with Cleveland. In fact I was just listening to the newest and last one, concertos 17 and 25 (available on Spotify).
All of them were recorded live in Severance Hall--I was in the hall for two of these recordings--each concert had two concertos plus a short symphony or divertimento led from his chair by William Preucil, the concertmaster. She will be back at Severance Hall April 6-7-8 for concertos 13 and 20 (and Mendelssohn sinfonia #2), but I don't think there are plans to record these concerts.
The interpretations are variable. The orchestra plays really well. Some of them I find rather droopy and low-energy, such as #20 and #25. Some of them are witty and emotionally engaged, such as 17 and 21. But any one of them is more involving to my ears than the concerto recordings she made with Tate--I find them pretty, neat, and emotionally empty.
So if you check out any of these Uchida/Cleveland recordings on Spotify or iTunes, I'd like to know what you thought of them.
Just heard 21 again HDD in my car (good quality). The orchestra sounds like it's just waiting to play out (coda to 1st and esp 3rdmovements). If we hear this music in the pretty big and Romantic style or Szell/Reiner method, great, why not?
Soloists are very good and sound is fine. But the record almost sounds like most all top orchestras--but they're shackled? The very end shows how powerful they really are! And they "Sound" like Cleveland.
Using Spotify for other purposes, but will try. Thank you.
The recordings are actually a small contingent of strings and the woodwinds/brass/tympani as required by the specific concerto. Not shackled!
Sounds a bit like Ashkenazy conducting and playing Beethoven pc's, wonderful recording with 80's era Cleveland.
What I meant by shackled is a feeling like there is a very powerful group, not being allowed to fully play out. As I said, the very end of 21 is amazing with a very vigorous sound. When commenting, I had echoes in my brain of Todd K, who always says Cleveland went to ground and became a smooth orchestra with modern playing and no distinctiveness, unlike Szell's group which was instantly recognizable.
The "Cleveland Sound" has actually changed quite a bit under Welser-Moest. The ensemble is as crisp as ever, but attacks are often more gentle than they were under past music directors. At Severance Hall, the orchestra sounds more rounded and less, well, shrill is too strong a word. The renovation has added a little reverb, strengthened the bass, and warmed the sound.
I just read many reviews of the Uchida series, all 5 stars and glowing.
The Cleveland sound I last heard live was Dohnanyi on Schumann 2, with a great Brahms PC 2 with Pollini. At that time, Adelstein was retired and Preucil had taken over. And the orchestra was going to play the same concert series at Carnegie. Year 2000. Prior to that, I attended concerts from Dec 1986 to June 1989.
I have to fish around for 9, but I own and recently listened to the EMI CD of Firkusny/Szell/Concertgebouw Salzburg Festival. There is a Brit review which is almost precisely what I think. Strange sound on strings, very good performance. The writer wanted Szell to be more emotional and "rounder," and claims he's better than on performances by the Clevelanders.
My standard on 21 is the infamous DGG recording of Geza Anda and the Salzburg Mozarteum. I have an original heavy big tulip LP of the DGG, no noises. Makes you think clicks are all dust, dirt, scratches. Great version, mesmerizing at times.
I saw that concert series with Schumann and Brahms. The concerto performance was released on disc as part of an expensive set commemorating the orchestra's 75th birthday--I think it's still for sale through the orchestra's web store.
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