Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
    The Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Sonata in F major, K. 377 [19:39]
Sonata in C major, K. 303 [9:50]
Sonata in E minor, K. 304 [15:50]
Sonata in A major, K. 526 [24:40]

Mark Steinberg, violin
Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Recorded Snape Maltings Concert Hall, June-July 2004
Released March 2005
Philips B0004115-02 [69:59]

In the past fifteen years, Mitsuko Uchida has become one of the leading
Mozart pianists in the world.  Her series of recordings of the complete
Mozart Piano Sonatas has received great acclaim as have her recordings
of all the piano concertos.  Personally, I consider Uchida the best
Mozart performing artist of her generation; her ability to convey the
charm, playful nature, smooth lines, and beauty of Mozart's music is
exceptional.  In addition, her piano sonata recordings inject an excitement
to Mozart's outer movements not found in any alternative recordings.

Uchida's most recent venture into Mozart's sound world consists of a
disc of four sonatas for violin and keyboard where she is partnered by
the excellent violinist Mark Steinberg.  The partnership is outstanding
as the dialogue between violin and piano clearly resonates and each
performer seems to possess an innate sense of the other's purpose.
This is teamwork of the highest order with conversational properties
second to none.

Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of the performances is the excitement
generated in the Allegro movements.  I own many other discs of these
works including those from Zimmermann/Lonquich on EMI, Szeryng/Haebler
on Philips, and Grumiaux/Klein on Philips as well as period instrument
accounts from Banchini/Vesselinova on Harmonia Mundi, Schroder/Orkis on
Virgin Classics, and Luca/Bilson on Nonesuch.  None of them comes close
to projecting the drive and thrilling experience of listening to Steinberg
and Uchida.  With quicksilver tempos and bold accenting, these two artists
offer proof that Mozart is much more than transcendent melody lines and
perfect structure.

I certainly don't want to give the impression that excitement constitutes
the only supreme reward from the Steinberg/Uchida collaboration, and
their performance of the Sonata in E minor, K 304 is ample evidence
that the duo also has a sure grasp on Mozart's angst, despair, and
sweet refrains.  The two-movement E minor Sonata was composed soon
after Mozart's mother passed away, and it is the bleakest work he
wrote for violin and piano.  The 1st Movement Allegro is angry music
that Uchida and Steinberg play with great determination.  As good as
they are in this movement, it is their 2nd Movement Tempo di menuetto
where they astound me with the intense sadness of the first section and
glowing optimism and security of the central trio section in the key of
E major.  I can feel Mozart's grief and love to the point where I could
almost sob, and that is a rare event for this reviewer.

A few words about Mark Steinberg's performance style on the disc.
Although he does not play a period violin, his interpretations clearly
are a result of paying attention to historically informed performance
practices.  His tone is lean without any of the thick vibrato so common
from modern violins but entirely inappropriate for Mozart's music.  I
do prefer the pungent tones of the period violin, but listening to
Steinberg almost makes me forget the preference.

Any reservations?  Just one, and it's my common complaint about piano
sound that I refer to as having the "flooded airport hangar effect": too
much wet air and reverberation.  Uchida is not a United Airlines employee,
but the Philips engineers make her push against water and air.  Now I
was able to make adjustments with my audio controls and trusty equalizer
to minimize this effect, but it took quite a few minutes to reach an
agreeable balance.  Those of you with only bare-bones audio equipment
should consider the strong possibility that your system might not be
capable of dampening the "wet effect".  I should also report that these
performances are available in the SACD format where the piano sound might
take on different characteristics from those in the CD format.

Don's Conclusions: One of the most rewarding and enjoyable Mozart discs
in recent years.  Uchida and Steinberg make a wonderful duo conveying
superlative dialogue, thrilling Allegros, and the full measure of Mozart's
dark side.  Although problematic piano sound does detract from the
production, the excellence of the music and performances cannot be
sullied.  For modern instrument accounts of Mozart's Sonatas for Violin
and Piano, Steinberg and Uchida go to the head of the class.

Don Satz
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