Uchida: Complete Mozart Piano Sonatas, etc. - Philips 422 115-1 (7 LP box set)

$

550

ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This beautiful and very rare 7 LP box set from Philips (422 115-1, Dutch pressing, silver/red label, DDD stereo, booklet included) features Mitsuko Uchida’s sublime Mozart Piano Sonata cycle, as well as several other important works from the composer’s keyboard output, all warmly recorded at Heny Wood Hall, London during the years 1983-1987 (the producer throughout was Erik Smith). This remains a touchstone survey, extraordinary in every way.

 

The exact contents of this 7 LP box set, along with the recording dates, are provided below:

 

Piano Sonata No. 1 in C Major K. 279 – rec. 5/1984

 

Piano Sonata No. 2 in F Major K. 280 – rec. 7/1987

 

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat Major K. 281 – rec. 7/1987

 

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major K. 282 – rec. 7/1987

 

Piano Sonata No. 5 in G Major K. 283 – rec. 7/1987

 

Piano Sonata No. 6 in D Major K. 284 – rec. 8/1986

 

Piano Sonata No. 7 in C Major K. 309 – rec. 2/1985

 

Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor K. 310 – rec. 2/1985

 

Piano Sonata No. 9 in D Major K. 311 – rec. 2/1985

 

Piano Sonata No. 10 in C Major K. 330 – rec. 5/1984

 

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major K. 331 – rec. 10/1983

 

Piano Sonata No. 12 in F Major K. 332 – rec. 10/1983

 

Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major K. 333 – rec. 5/1984

 

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor K. 457 – rec. 5/1984

 

Piano Sonata No. 15 in C Major K. 545 – rec. 10/1983

 

Piano Sonata No. 16 in B-flat Major K. 570 – rec. 8/1986

 

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Major K. 576 – rec. 5/1984

 

Piano Sonata No. 18 in F Major K. 533/494 – rec. 10/1983

 

Adagio in B minor K. 540 – rec. 5/1984

 

Eine Kleine Gigue in G Major K. 574 – rec. 5/1984

 

Fantasie in D minor K. 397 – rec. 10/1983

 

Fantasie in C minor K. 475 – rec. 5/1984

 

Rondo in D Major K. 485 – rec. 8/1986

 

Rondo in A minor K. 511 – rec. 10/1983

 

These performances received the coveted Rosette (a) from the ubiquitous Penguin Guide, and the wonderful critic, pianist, and composer Jed Distler, writing for ClassicsToday.com, opined:

 

"Early in her international career, Mitsuko Uchida gained renown for playing Mozart, garnering acclaim for her complete recorded cycles of the composer's concertos and sonatas for the Philips label. The sonatas were recorded between 1983 and 1987 and reissued as part of the label's 1991 complete Mozart edition. Its present budget-priced incarnation is well worth your consideration. Connoisseurs of rarified Mozart pianism will be pleased to rediscover (as I did) the sparkling symmetry and ultra-precision of Uchida's fingerwork, the fortepiano-like ping of her sonority, her impeccable tempo choices (the effortless flow between sections in the K. 284 and K. 311 sonatas' variation movements, for instance), and finely judged balances between hands. The latter quality serves the central slow movements in the earlier sonatas, especially regarding Uchida's subtle shaping of the left-hand Alberti bass accompaniments.

 

"Cyclical Mozart sonata contenders like Lili Kraus, Andras Schiff, Klara Würtz, and Claudio Arrau might make more of the music's operatic impulses and dramatic undercurrents (Schiff's imaginative ornaments remain a strong selling point), however, that takes nothing away from Uchida's subtle, pinpointed, and stylish mastery, which operates at higher levels of musical and technical refinement than we hear from Ingrid Haebler's competing space-saving budget-box Mozart sonata cycle on the same label. In short, a solid thumbs up for bargain hunting Mozart lovers and, of course, for Uchida fans."

 

Incidentally, the striking photo of Uchida gracing the box front was taken by Christain Steiner.

 

Included with the set is a superb CD-size, 66-page booklet extensive and eloquent essay on the music in English, French, and Italian (by producer Erik Smith, very much a Mozart authority), as well as in German (by Alfred Beaujean).

 

CONDITION – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

 

The condition of the box is EXCELLENT. There is slight shelfwear – for example the red/gold “Philips” band across the front of the box top is a bit faded at the right-hand side. There is also very minor wear at corners. However, there are no corner breaks, seamsplits, owners’ markings, bends, or other defects, and the box remains perfectly solid, bright, glossy, and highly attractive – overall, this rates as an excellent collector’s copy.

 

The condition of the CD-size (as issued), 64-page booklet is EXCELLENT. There are some faint work timings penciled in beside some of the sonatas in the booklet notes and the front page of the booklet has a barely noticeable scuff to it, but that is all. The pages are bright and crisp, are free of any bends or tears, and the binding is perfect – a fine collector's copy.

 

The condition of the 7 LPs themselves is near-MINT throughout. Although surfaces are not absolutely silent (and thus I have rated it NM vs. MINT), really these are very fine copies and playback is truly superb. However, if you must have absolutely perfect surfaces, then please do not buy this set. Overall, these rate as very fine collector’s copies.

PLEASE NOTE:
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