The G minor sonata’s outer movements often can sound thick and foursquare, but Uchida’s flexible yet fastidiously detailed interpretations circumvent that tendency. Schumann - Sonata no.2 in G minor, op.22: General Information: Composer(s): Schumann, Robert (1810-1856) Work type(s): Piano solo Duration: 17:49: Composition date(s). Program RobeRt Schumann Three Romances, Op. PROGRAM NOTES CONCERT: PIETRO DE MARIA (5/15/04) Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Opus 23 Chopin Ballade No.2 in F Major, Opus 38.

I prefer Wilhelm Kempff’s simpler, more direct interpretation where the few pungent harmonic clashes speak for themselves, without any underlining on the pianist’s part.

However, the pianist’s ritards at phrase endings throughout No. Uchida is one of the few pianists on disc to give a separate timbral character to chords with sforzando markings and those with accents, rather than assigning these a generalized quality of loudness. Uchida’s relative understatement not only adheres to Schumann’s dynamic markings, but also makes an effective contrast to the louder, brasher repeated chords to come. Take, for example, Waldszenen’s first piece, Eintritt, where Uchida takes pains to differentiate slurs and staccatos. If Mitsuko Uchida’s latest foray into Schumann strikes certain listeners as micromanaged, italicized, and arch, it must be said that nearly everything she does has its basis in what the composer set down in his scores. Schumann: G Minor Sonata, Waldszenen / Mitsuk.

Schumann waldszenen program notes