Uchida conducts Mozart's Piano Concerto #20 - Allegro I

[musicaljustintime]

she looks like the japanese version of sandra oh, just saying :P

[marcofoghi]

Mitsuko is the reincarnation of Mozart

[SuperTendril]

I love the sequence at 1:17 to1:25

[BassicStorm]

You are watchi'n the best Mozart's performer ever :)

[Rahetor2]

so many notes...:)

[15Lianne19]

wow :O

[BassicStorm]

A-A-c#-E--D-D  LOVE IT!

[boulez99]

Uchida is a wonderful interpreter -- not so wonderful a conductor, but it doesn't matter with the players in front of her. Beautiful playing!

[Eduard1788]

@boulez99 yea as a conductor not so good i agree

[MrRexeL86]

uh, absolutely perfect! She really is genious.

[marian444]

Wonderful performance!!

[khansanamyan]

Божественно! Нет слов! Одни эмоции...

[keochk]

i love the part before the piano plays

[greendayidiot13]

My god, you can see the genious in her eyes.

[jimicheesecake]

when the piano enters @ 2:25 i get chills.

[JeOfFShAdOwSeEkEr07]

"Music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music." -W.A. Mozart

[celebrei]

like a rockstar

[Beetocheng]

Close your eyes. And then you will feel Mozart.

[raduneo]

Best version of this concerto. If all Mozart would sound similar to this, I would actually rate him way higher.

[106karla]

i like her's... but Gulda's is better

[frnog]

My favorite piano concerto create by my favorite classical composer, and play by one of my favorite pianist!!!!!!

This i think my favorite video one you tube...

[MamboJamboful]

She's a man.

[polymath7]

@MamboJamboful She's *the* man.

[GBautist]

Very beautiful music but the conductor is far too overdramatic, slightly ruins the piece when she pulls faces.

[ely730]

I learned in my Psychology class that Mozart is useful for studying~ So now I'll be listening to this playlist every night when I have homework or when I have a test to study for! ^^

[PedroRoese]

@ely730 It works for me ^^

[ahhmar]

Legend Stuff ...

but the lady has some issues..i guess even her issues have issues

[shenshen1020]

her passion is overwhelming ....

[novgoradd]

Joder! Me encanta como dirige esa mujer! Por las caras que pone debe sentir muchisimo la musica.

Por supuesto, la obra es increiblemente bella también. Desde luego, un gran logro de la cultura. Es genial poder disfrutarlo! Os recomiendo escuchar música tan bella fumado, se siente increiblemente mas jeje esto ultimo lo digo pensando en las señoras mayores que les gusta la musica clasica, probad musica y marihuana y os encantará ;-)

Un saludo a todo el mundo!

[TengoUnOboe]

@novgoradd jajajaj ole!!!

[MrMattmccall]

trippy/scary conducting. so passionate

[Dogaradodia]

I hereby subtitle this concerto as 'The Face of God'.

[SophiaSu52]

All I'm saying is while you guys are all ignorantly arguing crap about this video I'm ENJOYING the music. What's the point of mindless blabber if you aren't going to change anyone else's opinion? Try to keep your opinions to yourself please. If you don't like this then why don't you LOOK FOR ANOTHER VERSION.

[geisterbahn1]

Wolfgang the Wonderful !

[SophiaSu52]

SHUT

[SophiaSu52]

UP

[SophiaSu52]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hirose9999]

相当楽しそう！

[frostnet]

that steinway sounds beautiful!,

[Darkboy2525]

Ooww loveley how Mitsuko is FEEDING her self with music on the beginning .. loveley .. ! get in to the mood, erergy and passion flows in her ! amazing !

[bfeyalcin]

Mozart has composed hundreds of pieces in major keys, but his most beautiful works are in minor keys, especially in D minor : Piano concerto no.20 and the Requiem Mass in D minor.

[SophiaSu52]

Can everyone just SHUSH UP and LISTEN to the MUSIC!?!?!?

[ajayalmighty]

Wow imagine playing the piano and conducting music! Listening to the orchestra as a whole yet isolating a part as complex as the piano and playing it!

[BassicStorm]

1 of the most wonderful pieces by Mozart

[sapobh]

wonderful!

[devotedeStLouisMarie]

I love the music, but I absolutely can't stand watching her conduct. I reject the "contemporaneity" of having a woman conduct the orchestra. She is painfully and obnoxiously expressive when she conducts. Bring back the man please! Also it is ridiculous to have someone play the piano and then conduct whenever she has her hands free for a moment!

[MrStefanovitsch]

@devotedeStLouisMarie Are you kidding me? This woman -feels- Mozart. Not just plays or conducts his music, but shakes to her very core with his music. How could you ask for a better conductor? Why would a specifically male conductor be better?

[AceSeno]

@devotedeStLouisMarie Is that a joke? So if a man painfully and obnoxiously express in his conduct exactly like Uchida, will still look pleasing to ur eyes just cause he's a man and most conductors are men? Being biased, aren't you? You said, "I love the music". Doesn't it means she has proven her ability, being able to make us enjoy it, due to her wonderful interpretation? How much a better conductor do you want to ask for!? =O

[777maniac777]

@devotedeStLouisMarie This is the 21st century. Your comment isn't valid anymore. Women not only conduct now, they become presidents. Update yourself.

Sorry if I'm being too harsh...

[Chihiro961]

this woman is awesome

[LutenistDeMari]

Reviews are always so ridiculous. "no straight imitation of 18th century practices. She is, however, musicologically highly informed".... What does this even mean? Did the reviewer check over her university scores in harmony and counterpoint? Point out the phrases in this performance (besides all of them and none of them) that are "musicologically highly informed".

[BassicStorm]

Opening always gives my chills

[COLEVANY]

This is really such a rare good performance! She plays it with strong emotion, which is acurrately translated through the way she plays the piano, straight to our hearts! 

[HerlockSholmes123]

5:34 Edgar Allan Poe?

[Chihiro961]

@HerlockSholmes123 LOL!

[Jizmunky]

I think she is quite mad, lol.......but tres good, oh yes!

[adam4757]

This is my absolute favourite piece of music by Mozart. It's just far too beautiful to even try and describe. The cadenza and end gives me goosebumps every single time. Sublime.

[Haaglander]

This is so great ....

[DavePerry2012]

What orchestra?

[Jerrez]

There are still-29 year-olds that make me realize that modesty is certainly not a unneccesary luxury...

[danradiobr]

Melhor intérprete de Mozart na minha opinião. Me emociona. De verdade.

Uchida brings to us the best of Mozart!

[a10isaussie]

aww shes so cute

[morfingaunt]

Absolutely phenomenal.

Goddamnit, Mozart, why did you write so few pieces in minor keys? :(

[umroo2014]

@morfingaunt what I love about his opera music is that he had the very innate ability to write the most angry music in major keys.

[colourfulwithaU]

@umroo2014

Eh, I disagree. Even his most furious works in major keys just sound furiously happy. His works in minor keys are almost invariably tempestuous and poignant. 25th symphony, 8th piano sonata, 20th piano concerto, etc.

[jonnymanmeg]

@morfingaunt I've never agreed with a youtube comment more!

[AceSeno]

@morfingaunt damn right you are!! D:

[azneternalxtc]

@morfingaunt No offense, but I don't think that Mozart included crabs as conductors for his works....

[Eduard1788]

@morfingaunt I totally agree with you man, I think this is Mozart greatest piano concerto, but it is unlike all the other ones and has a more somber tragic tone, which is why its better than all the others

[Soapygold]

@morfingaunt And of those, why do so few sound like he could keep a straight face?

[Vesivian]

Is it a guy or a girl

[vanmedeiros55]

The most important thing is: Mozart is so cute

[pettymolly]

@berto41 Ment those that annoys me. Like you are starting to. I dislike arguing about tiny stuff like this. It's PETTY :P

[pettymolly]

@berto41 I never said all conductors play piano. I'm referring to those few that does. And my dislike to it. Get it?

[oboistCONDUCTOR]

Fantastic orchestra and fantastic Uchida. Lovely

[mrjamesbramley]

Great do see her directing from the keyboard, and nothing odd about the position of the piano at all. It is liberating, expressive and engaged. I saw Robert Levine and the OAE doing K466 in what was possibly the most gripping concert ever. And the piano (period grand) was round the other way (apparently event more authentic). With the Steinway like this seems such a nice and reasonable balance between old and new

[pettymolly]

@berto41 Crude is a bit harsh as I only stated what I like. What you can name and not is no interest to me, as it's all about what I like. Is that relevant enough for you? Don't talk down to me again. You will get feedback I promise.

[luihimleung]

she is just awesome!!!

[Lawrencelovespiano]

@ThePianisssimo

Not only is it closer to the orchestra, but it permits the pianist to see the whole orchestra. The pianist can not see the whole orchestra in regular performance position. When the pianist is in profile to the audience, there are orchestra members behind them, who are invisible to the pianist's sight. :D

[0xZystx0]

@megacrazydann It's a woman? Oh holy crap

[JanaHLee77]

which orchestra is this?

[hellboyreloaded]

What an awkward position for the piano.

[shaylenmusic]

@Danny85247 You have poor orthography and syntax; other than that, you simply fail.

[enahs55]

@NaoEW You're being played. 

[rickfordcompton1]

@NaoEW so what happened to opinion.

[Haaglander]

One of my favorite Mozart pieces, briljant execution.

[StephenChin1]

If Mozart could return and watch Dame Mitsuko in this performance, his facial pyrotechnics would beat hers.

[beritheatre]

damn the cut-off end!!

[beethovenlovedmozart]

I think Schubert said it best when he said Mozart showed everyone new sounds and what the world could be. This said by one of the true romantic greats tells me who the real father of Romanticism was - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

[pettymolly]

why the hell do all conductors also have to play piano? It's just disrupting.

[shaylenmusic]

@pettymolly what?! give an example of someone else who does this.

[pettymolly]

@shaylenmusic not that great. ok?

[geisterbahn1]

Mind blowing Mozart. beyond my descriptive powers thats for sure. Mozart takes you to somewhere else.How sad that the modern music scene robs people of such miracles.

[zhangyoulv]

OMG it's fantastic

[mikeexpo]

奇才グルダの弾き振りもすごいけど、こちらも負けず劣らず鬼神の­ような演奏ですな。グラミー賞受賞おめでとうございましたｗ

[Valerius8]

It's really good to hear something today in what mistake isn't an advantage. Where have all the perfectionism gone from music?!

[revengejeffrey21]

This is a Proof that Mozart lives Forever....

[geisterbahn1]

@revengejeffrey21 thats for sure! Wolfgang ,the biggest star of all.A miracle! A gift to us all.

[qqqquito]

I have never before seen a piano concerto in which the pianist conducts the orchestra. Is this Uchida's own invention or a standard way to perform a piano concerto?

[manuelspcool]

@qqqquito not this is a traditional way to play when you get a high level as Uchida, She conducts this concerto direct from the keyboard but there is other version where she plays and Sir Simon Rattle conducts with the Berliner Philharmoniker, is a sort of taste like when someona plays Bach's piano concertos usually conducts the orchestra and play the piano at the same time

[voodoochild12889]

this is incredible

[danielbillingsley]

There are so few great pianists. Lots of good ones. But few great ones. Uchida is one of those greats. Alongside Richard Goode (a close friend of hers), Vladimir Feltsman, Dubravka Tomsic and Radu Lupu. I would have said Kristian Zimmerman, but he has turned out to be such a whiney puss (cutting his toenail too short will make him cancel a concert tour).

[jasonkrick]

for me...

horowitz and agerich owns rach 3, kissin: beethoven 5 and uchida: mozart 20.

[manuelspcool]

@jasonkrick Uchida have never played the Rach 3, Imagine that!!!!!, She played the Schoenberg piano concerto without any paper, is pure disonance, so I guess she can play the strong piano concerto No.3

[jasonkrick]

@manuelspcool

where did i say that uchida played rach 3?

horowitz and argerich: rach 3

beethoven 5: kissin

uchida: mozart 20

[manuelspcool]

@jasonkrick yes I know but Im saying "Imagine that" I'm suposing

[piccahoe]

Mrs Magoo conducts and preforms wonderfully. It sounds absolutely beautiful when she starts playing the piano.

[Dogaradodia]

Certified Intergalactic! The Face of God!

[pauobiol]

this is just insane... an ode to life

[upsightdown]

i love it when people have that insane look and are just absolutely magnificant in there music.. eg Beethoven, Glenn Gould and the one and only Mitsuko Uchida. They bring this added flavour to the scene..

[Huhtaketuri]

shit version

[Chaliamusiclover]

HAVE HAPPY 2011!!!!

[erken]

And as odd as a 70 year old liking Lady Gaga.

[MrMax5656]

Yeh. That would be odd.

[btyremanable]

@MrMax5656 odder than a duck billed platypus in ebbw vale

[Rahetor2]

people, if you dont like Uchida, just close your eyes and listen to this wonderful music!

[changjiang001]

Absolutely fantastic!

[gianpaga11]

Genius!!!

[happyfrogdude]

Disliking this could quite possibly be the definition of ignorance

[polymath7]

@happyfrogdude Perhaps not ignorance, but almost certainly an act of gross musical stupidity.

[BenGabbay]

@happyfrogdude Oh look--the 20 people who disliked the video just repented and liked your comment! :D

[happyfrogdude]

Perfection

[halneufmille]

Rarely Mozart sound so much like Mozart should sound. Such delicacy, sensitivity, refinement. That made my day.

[MaxJogee]

She looks like she is having sooo much fun! I cant help but feel like my fingers will run away in a motion of thier own as i stroke the keys of this keyboard. Im actually subconsciously pressing more keys than i need to because of the excitement build up of observing her finger movements. What is this that Im experiencing!?!?

[caiosugi]

how can someone criticize a demonstration of excessive euphoria that leads her to do such actions that are being mistakenly judged by this world´s principles when she is in a totally different world from ours

she is literally drunk with the music

[ericsteph]

Hi, I really like this performance, but could anyone please tell me, how does she show them the measure (4/4)??,, i only see caracter indication from her conducting, like play really soft, and play forte...!

[JoeTownley]

Why don't composers write this kind of music anymore? I just finished a work for piano and orchestra in the romantic tradition, "Symphonic Variations After a Theme of Cesar Franck" modeled after Franck's own Symphonic Variations that is here on YouTube but I'm the only one I know. Today's composers' music sounds like traffic jams and Boeing 747 mixed with jackhammers, If that's art good luck to them. If they want to hear what genius sounds like they should listen to real music like this.

[Lawrencelovespiano]

@JoeTownley

Amen, Bro. I love Baroque, Classical and Romantic. I don't like today's music.

[playpianoinallkeys]

Amazing performance - I can listen to her interpretation all day.

[beakt]

This is a terrific performance, by the way. This is probably my favorite piano concerto ever, too. Thanks for uploading!

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

I'll never understand the importance of a conductor in this case... pianist and conductor... I think that small orchestra could play the same even if she doesn't do anything, and in fact in the parts where the piano plays along with the orchestra she can't move her hands to conduct.

Mah....

[Yamahazryn]

Well, it's not like the audience can really see her facial expression much anyways.

[fabioso82]

Bangbang

[Flyingbuck]

I have been lucky enouh to witness her play and direct - she is awsome!

[skorchedutopia]

Personally, I love the expressions and mannerisms of this Uchida character. She possesses her orchestra... beautifully. And she's animated about it.

[freeqwerqwer]

In a good concerto performance, the pianist and orchestra communicates w/ one another well. How can we tell? It's all in the timing, the interplay between soloist and orchestra. listeners can tell whether interpretations are the same or disparate, in the same flow, spacing, dynamic, and accenting. This orchestra, like many amateur ones (and I don't know which orch this is) , never even attempted to communicate w// the talented pianist. .....maybe it's the conductor's fault?

[freeqwerqwer]

The orchestra string (1st & 2nd violins) arent playing w/ the right bowing. Also, the orchestra isn't very good overall. Uchida's playing is too tight and planned. There's no air of ease in her playing.

[mrjkdeyoung]

@freeqwerqwer r u shitting me?

[mattheweilar]

@freeqwerqwer What do you mean wrong bowing? Bowing is set by the section leader.

[ComposerLarsik]

This is a really good performance of the piano concerto. I love the sound and the feeling shes playing with. I really enjoyed watching and hearing this:)

[RetroRedJeans]

I LOVE this! The way everything is so contrasted really plays on your emotions - and I think it's pretty amazing how she's conducting AND playing the piano. Mozart really was a genius.

[zhishengxiantian]

It is the sound here that is important and not the facial expressions.

She is not trying to express anything. What you are seeing is a person who is not thinking about how she looks, but is nearly one with her soul, which soul is immersed in the the music being produced.

What you are watching is ecstasy.

[kashvenali]

These facial expressions are common.

Same ones my drycleaner has when my tab is overdue..

[jav888]

jitprick: down the local pub

[aZn2MIT]

which orchestra & which hall is this performed in?

[toni4branti]

Mozart's piano concerto 22 is one of the greatest, if not the greatest.

[MrRubato]

@toni4branti And this one, #20, isn't bad either. :)

[CorelliChopin08]

@toni4branti YES!! and im playing it =) its really good! though 20 and 21 are the most popular, 22 is not heard often, but it should be! its just as amazing!

[lntegral]

This performance is excellent. I love the energy and emotion she puts into this piece. The only fault I see is that the piece does not flow as much as I would like. She pays too much attention to the local dynamics in a section and does not achieve enough balance as a whole.

[MegaCrazyDann]

Just beautiful. This woman has such inner power and elegance.

[P1B1U1H1]

Fabulous.

[ryvanoff]

Para mim a Mitsuko Uchida é a melhor pianistas de todod os tempos.

[bruceschuman]

wild thing

she is power.

[Baronski13]

A mother goose tending her flock!

[gauden942000]

She is a Conductor? I think she is more like pianist, but she is great!!

[kyywii]

the way she closes her eyes makes her look way older than she is... just saying

[kyleclef]

I'm going to see her today in brum...SO EXCITED!

[Gloria0004]

14 people miscalculated and hit the dislike button by mistake.

[daoldGNRrox]

OMG u fuckin noobs! so this is what a pack of virgins looks like huh?! ROCK N' F'KIN ROLL FOREVER!

[animefanfreak236]

she looks like a hobo guy! no offense..

[MrJemusic]

Klansky is better. Her rubato tempo is unusual. A talented pianist oviously but not Mozart par excellence.

[1hanamoon]

as beutiful as marybeth

[jav888]

gulda does not compare to uchida - she is in a different league altogether

[milligoree]

God I love Mozart's writing for woodwind. He gives it the voice-like quality that is usually attributed to the strings, and they just sing out. There is an interview with Uchida somewhere else on youtube where she says that unlike Haydn and Beethoven, everything Mozart wrote is basically opera, with or without actual voices. So true, everything just sings.

[GBV1961]

Stupenda !!!!

[Meewosheq]

She looks like she's crazy, but she's really great!

[Jaimejimmyjim]

Best interpreter of Mozart Piano works ever! who cares about her face expressions, sho goes beyond and beyond, he or she who is bothered by it does not have the sensibility that is required for interpreting such a monumental piece, all her body and soul is envolved, good on you Mitzuko, I know you do not care about silly comments.

[lazydreamereyes]

Mitsuko Uchida is a badass. Just sayin'.

[Pelirroja22]

The first half sounds so modern!