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 Schumann: Sonatas For Violin And Piano / Koh, Uchida
Release Date: 03/13/2007 
Label:  Cedille Records   Catalog #: 95   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Robert Schumann
Performer:  Jennifer KohReiko Uchida

Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 7 Mins. 

CD  $16.49
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Notes & Reviews   Works on This Recording  
 Notes & Reviews Back to Top 
My colleague Victor Carr Jr. succinctly described what Schumann's three violin sonatas sound like in his review of the splendid Ara Malikian/Serouj Kradjian recording on Hänssler Classics. He rightly noted that these works are infrequently recorded as a cycle, and that alone works to the advantage of this release from violinist Jennifer Koh and her trusty piano partner Reiko Uchida.

Fortunately, their sensitive musicianship and technical aplomb warrant serious consideration. They emphasize intimacy and clarity, favoring tempos that are neither too fast nor too slow for what the music expresses. For example, they toss the A minor sonata finale's toccata-like motives back and forth in a relaxed, lilting manner that generates its own momentum--and needless to say, totally differs from the Kremer/Argerich "shock and awe" approach. The big D minor sonata's largely pizzicato slow movement stands out for the uniform precision with which the artists balance chords in similar registers, although the outer movements' symphonic dimensions benefit more from the slightly faster tempos, wider dynamic compass, and kinetic drive that keep Isabelle Faust and Slike Avenhaus (CPO) at the top of my reference list.

Don't force me to choose between Cedille, Hänssler, and CPO in the posthumous A minor, but at least let me acknowledge the additional suppleness and flexibility Uchida brings to the difficult piano part. I also should mention that Koh and Uchida dedicate their fine work on this disc to the memory of pianist Edward Aldwell, a moving and appropriate gesture.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

 Works on This Recording Back to Top 
1.  Sonata for Violin and Piano no 1 in A minor, Op. 105 by Robert Schumann
Performer:  Jennifer Koh (Violin), Reiko Uchida (Piano)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1851; Germany 
Venue:  Theater A, Performing Arts Center, SUNY, 
Length: 17 Minutes 23 Secs. 
Notes: Theater A, Performing Arts Center, SUNY, Purchase, NY (05/27/2005 - 05/29/2005) 
2.  Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2 in D minor, Op. 121 by Robert Schumann
Performer:  Reiko Uchida (Piano), Jennifer Koh (Violin)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1851; Germany 
Venue:  Theater A, Performing Arts Center, SUNY, 
Length: 27 Minutes 31 Secs. 
Notes: Theater A, Performing Arts Center, SUNY, Purchase, NY (05/27/2005 - 05/29/2005) 
3.  Sonata for Violin and Piano no 3 in A minor, WoO 27 by Robert Schumann
Performer:  Reiko Uchida (Piano), Jennifer Koh (Violin)
Period: Romantic 
Written: 1853; Germany 
Venue:  American Academy of Arts and Letters, Ne 
Length: 21 Minutes 26 Secs. 
Notes: American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York (06/01/2006 - 06/02/2006) 
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