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Tag: Mitsuko Uchida

Mitsuko Uchida Birthday Broadcast

Happy birthday, Mitsuko Uchida!

In addition to being one the world’s most celebrated pianists, Uchida has served as artistic director of the Marlboro Music School and Festival since 2013. We’ll honor her on this week’s broadcast of “Music from Marlboro” with two of her performances, documented in live recordings from the festival she manages.

The highlight of the hour will be Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat, Op. 97, popularly known as the “Archduke.” Nicknamed for Beethoven’s patron and pupil, Archduke Rudolph of Austria, the trio is one of fourteen works Beethoven dedicated to Rudolph, who was the youngest child of Emperor Leopold II of Austria. We’ll hear a 2006 performance. Uchida will be joined by Soovin Kim, violin, and the venerable David Soyer, cello.

The hour will begin with music by Johannes Brahms. We’ll hear his “Zwei Gesänge” (Two Songs) for voice, viola and piano, Op. 91. The text of the first, “Gestillte Sehnsucht” (Longing at Rest), composed in 1884, is by Friedrich Rückert. That of the second, “Geistliches Wiegenlied” (Sacred Lullaby), composed in 1863, is by Emanuel Geibel, who in turn was inspired by Lope de Vega. The songs were published as a set in 1884.

The first, touched by nature and yearning, begins “Immersed in golden evening glow, how solemnly the woods stand!” Imagery of wind and birds whispering the world to slumber gradually metamorphose into a desire for wishes and longing to be hushed to slumber, as well. The song ends there, though in the original Rückert continues his poem for another stanza, acknowledging that these desires will only be silenced by death. So German…

The second song (written first) was composed for Brahms’ friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, and Joachim’s wife, Amalie. It was intended as a wedding present, but resubmitted a year later on the baptism of the couple’s son (named after Johannes). Joseph also played the viola, and Amalie was a contralto. The work is a cradle song sung by Mary, mother of Jesus, who addresses the holy angels, requesting that they silence the rustling palms because her Child is sleeping. The viola quotes the Christmas melody “Joseph, lieber Joseph mein,” a sly reference on the part of Brahms, who incorporates the carol’s text, in order to include Joachim’s given name.

The performance, from 2011, again features Mitsuko Uchida at the keyboard, with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and violist Hélène Clément.

That’s a cradle song for Baby Jesus by Johannes Brahms and music composed for Rudolph by Beethoven, on this week’s “Music from Marlboro,” this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

PHOTO: Hélène Clément, Mitsuko Uchida, and Jennifer Johnson Cano

December 20, 2017
Marlboro Music Greats on the Radio

We’ll have performances by artistic directors current and founding this week on “Music from Marlboro.”

Mitsuko Uchida, who has led the Marlboro Music School and Festival since 2013, will join violinist Soovin Kim and cellist David Soyer (of the legendary Guarneri Quartet) for Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio.

The Philadelphia-born Soyer, who taught at Marlboro for over 35 years, could be notoriously ornery. In particular, he was known for snapping at pianists for playing too loudly.

According to Uchida, “I avoided him for years because he was known to be nasty to pianists and because for him every pianist was too loud. We joked about it, but one day, I thought, listen, it’s about time that I risked being shouted at by David – ‘you are too loud!’ So I plucked up my courage and we did the ‘Archduke’ together with this wonderful violinist Soovin Kim. I think David tolerated me for the first week because of his love for Soovin Kim. He told me all the time, ‘oh you are too loud, too loud.’ But then there was a moment when he realized that actually I was not too loud. From then on it was smooth sailing. I learned so much from David, from the way he played, from the way he could make the cello sound with such unbelievable accuracy, simplicity and honesty, and, of course, he played louder than anyone else. In the ‘Archduke,’ but also in the slow movement of the Schubert E-flat Trio, I think nobody ever played like that, apart from Pablo Casals. There was a quality of his that was so moving, every time, in rehearsal.”

We’ll hear Uchida, Kim and Soyer in the “Archduke,” in a performance captured in 2006.

Then founding director Rudolf Serkin will join Philadelphia-based soprano Benita Valente and hornist Myron Bloom for Franz Schubert’s “Auf dem Strom” (“On the River”), a work composed in tribute to Beethoven. The text, by Ludwig Rellstab, was originally intended for the older master. The song was first performed on the only concert devoted exclusively to Schubert’s music during Schubert’s lifetime, which took place on the first anniversary of Beethoven’s death, March 26, 1828. Schubert himself would die only eight months later. The Marlboro performance dates from 1960.

I hope you’ll join me for music of Beethoven and Schubert played by Marlboro artistic directors, this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

PHOTO: A lighter moment (not too loud) with Soovin Kim, Mitsuko Uchida and David Soyer

September 6, 2017
Marlboro Music Festival with Mitsuko Uchida

Each summer, the Marlboro Music School and Festival brings together the world’s most acclaimed artists and exceptional young talent in the foothills of rural, southern Vermont, for seven weeks of relaxed, inspired and joyful music-making.

This year’s festival, already underway, will continue through August 13, on the campus of Marlboro College (a separate institution). More information about Marlboro Music may be found at marlboromusic.org.

The Classical Network has been granted privileged access to the Marlboro archives, which contain many performances never before heard beyond the confines of the festival, all of them featuring chamber music luminaries and stars of tomorrow.

On the next installment of “Music from Marlboro,” it will be an all-Czech program, including works by Erwin Schulhoff – his Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon – and Antonín Dvořák, his beloved Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81. Marlboro artistic director Mitsuko Uchida will be the pianist.

I hope you’ll join me this Wednesday evening at 6 EDT, for another “Music from Marlboro,” on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

PHOTO: Marlboro artistic director Mitsuko Uchida (left)

July 19, 2017
Sir Jeffrey Tate Dies at 74: Conductor’s Legacy

One day after the report of the death of conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, Sir Jeffrey Tate has passed. Tate, who was knighted only last month, collapsed of a heart attack at an art gallery in Bergamo. Despite having been born with spina bifida, which caused paralysis in his left leg, Tate lived a remarkably productive life. He merely conducted while seated on a tall stool.

At the time of his death, Tate was chief conductor of the Hamburg Symphony. He had also been principal conductor of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic.

He was a sensitive Mozart interpreter, as evidenced by a series of acclaimed recordings of the concertos with Mitsuko Uchida; he had a talent for opera, with which, apparently, he had a love/hate relationship; and I have in my possession a very lovely disc he conducted of English pastoral music.

He claimed that he took up conducting purely by accident.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40140053

Tate was 74 years-old. Here he is rehearsing with the English Chamber Orchestra.

PHOTO: Tate and Uchida with the ECO in 1984

June 2, 2017

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