W. A. MOZART
Mozart: The Piano Sonatas (Complete) Mitsuko Uchida (piano) [ Philips / 5 CD Box Set - released 2/Dec/2001 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die - "In a relatively short time Mitsuko Uchida's outstanding recordings of the complete Mozart piano sonatas have come to be regarded as among the "must have" classics of recorded music" Penguin Guide |
SCHUBERT
Schubert - Piano Sonatas D537 & D664, German Dances D820 & D790 Mitsuko Uchida, piano [ Decca Records / CD - released 25/Oct/2002 ] the final disc in Mitsuko Uchida's landmark series |
SCHUMANN
Waldszenen / Gesänge der Frühe / Piano Sonata No. 2 Mitsuko Uchida (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 1/May/2014 ] GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD NOMINATION 2014 |
W. A. MOZART
Piano Concertos (Nos 18 & 19) Mitsuko Uchida (piano & conductor), Cleveland Orchestra [ Decca / CD - released 8/Aug/2014 ] "in directing them herself, Mitsuko Uchida draws out Mozart's originality...the Cleveland wind are superbly evocative of Mozart's night-time vision." (The Observer) |
W.A. MOZART
Piano Concertos (Nos 20 & 27) Mitsuko Uchida (piano & conductor) Cleveland Orchestra [ Decca / CD - released 10/Mar/2011 ] "I cannot recall hearing these works performed with this degree of intimacy and subtlety." (International Record Review) |
W. A. MOZART
Piano Concertos (Nos 23 & 24) Mitsuko Uchida (piano & conductor) Cleveland Orchestra [ Decca / CD - released 15/Oct/2009 ] "…here is sublime Mozart-playing whether in C minor turbulence or A major radiance....even a few bars will convince you that you are listening to one of the truly great artists of our time." Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine December 2009" |
W. A. MOZART
Piano Concertos (Nos 9 & 21) Mitsuko Uchida (piano & conductor) Cleveland Orchestra [ Decca / CD - released 1/Jan/2013 ] "While these performances don't necessarily eclipse her earlier ones, Uchida remains one of the most thoughtful and poetic of Mozartians, with a fastidious control of sound second to none." (Gramophone) |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 / 32 Variations in C minor, WoO 80 Mitsuko Uchida (piano) / Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfun. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Kurt Sanderling [ Philips Collector's Edition / 3 CD - released 25/Aug/2005 ] 1001 Classical recordings to hear before you die (1801-1850) "No surprise that a musician of such integrity and intelligence as Uchida has bided her time when it comes to Beethoven. Yet this set represents work in progress" MusicWeb Sept 2005 |
RACHMANINOV / KHACHATURIAN
Moura Lympany - Decca Recordings 1951-1952 Moura Lympany (piano) New Symphony Orchestra of London / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Anthony Collins. Anatole Fistoulari [ Decca Original Masters / 2 CD - released 12/Dec/2004 ] "… the orchestra in this version has some real body, and the piano is excellently reproduced … Miss Lympany gives a masterly performance." Gramophone March 1953 (Khachaturian) |
SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN / HAYDN / DEBUSSY / BRITTEN / BEETHOVEN / BRIDGE
Mstislav Rostropovich - The Complete Decca Recordings Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) Benjamin Britten (piano) Sviatoslav Richter (piano) English Chamber Orchestra [ Decca / 5 CD Box Set - released 22/Apr/2012 ] 'On every count this is a triumphant record...it offers us Rostropovich's own superb playing...admirably partnered by Britten (who shows himself an outstanding chamber music pianist)...a splendid performance of the Debussy Sonata' Gramophone January... |
MONTEVERDI / COSTELEY / CHARPENTIER / JANEQUIN / RAMEAU / BRAHMS / etc
Nadia Boulanger - Icon: The American Decca Recordings Nadia Boulanger (harpsichord/piano/conductor) [ Deutsche Grammophon Decca Eloquence / 5 CD Box Set - released 20/Oct/2020 ] "Nadia Boulanger's control of the score is wholly magnificent, a great artist at work … wonderfully vivid" Philip Hope-Wallace, Gramophone, July 1954 (Charpentier) |
Nelson Freire
Schumann: Piano Works [ Decca / CD - released 6/Oct/2003 ] |
BARROSO NETO / GUARNIERI / MIGNONE / OSWALD / VILLA-LOBOS / etc
Brasileiro Nelson Freire (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 6/Aug/2012 ] "There's plenty of flair and soul, yet the playing is always crystalline and precise, perfectly pedalled, the colours as subtle as a Debussy prelude...Just drop-dead gorgeous repertoire and performances" (BBC Music) |
FRANZ LISZT
Liszt: Harmonies Du Soir Nelson Freire (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 10/Jun/2011 ] "Again and again one marvels at the spontaneity of Freire's playing, his ability to think in long paragraphs and bring an almost improvisatory air to proceedings" Gramophone Award Finalist 2011 - Instrumental |
J. S. BACH
Nelson Freire: Bach Nelson Freire (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 11/May/2016 ] "A pianist half his age could feel elated with the pin-sharp, dancing articulation that so often trips from Freire's fingers" (BBC Music) |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Nelson Freire: Brahms Nelson Freire (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 1/Sep/2017 ] "Freire's sound has always been a thing of wonder: even at full volume and full tilt there's no hint of percussiveness in his tone...Highlights are many" Gramophone Editor's Choice Awards Edition |
GLUCK / SCARLATTI / SCRIABIN / RUBINSTEIN / RACHMANINOV / ALBENIZ
Nelson Freire: Encores Nelson Freire (piano) [ Decca / CD - released 8/Nov/2019 ] Legendary Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire celebrates his 75th birthday with a new album! A delightful collection of personal piano favourites |
OLA GJEILO
Ola Gjeilo: Winter Songs Ola Gjeilo (piano) The Choir of Royal Holloway / 12 Ensemble, Rupert Gough [ Decca / CD - released 1/May/2018 ] "Seasonal songs and carols, in ear-caressing, borderline schmaltzy arrangements for choir, string and piano…The effect is generally soothing, if cumulatively soporific." (BBC Music) |
OLA GJEILO
Ola Gjeilo: Voices - Piano - Strings Ola Gjeilo (piano) Thomas Gould (violin) Ciaran McCabe (violin) Jon Thorne (viola) Matthew Sharp (cello) / Voces 8 / Chamber Orchestra of London [ Decca / CD - released 15/May/2016 ] A rising composer's debut release on a major label, Gjeilo's album on Decca is an important release of heavenly, bewitching, eternal new choral music for our time. Ethereal yet tangible, this is music with wide appeal; music of purity and beauty;... |
EDWARD GRIEG
Grieg: Peer Gynt / Piano Concerto / Symphony Olli Mustonen (piano) / San Francisco Symphony, Herbert Blomstedt / Bergen Symphony Orchestra, Karsten Andersen [ Double Decca / 2 CD - released 1/Nov/2012 ] "The San Francisco Chorus is first-class, as is the orchestral playing, and in the more dramatic numbers Blomstedt conducts with a great deal of dash and flair." (Gramophone on Peer Gynt) |