A Symphony of Elegance and Humility
By Armand Kovacs, 23.10.2019
Just a week ago we went to the Philharmonie Luxembourg to attend Jean-François Zygel’s “20000 lieues sous les mers” and at the end of the article I was telling you to check out the scheduled shows of the Philharmonie because they have really interesting and amazing shows coming up. As a proof of that I find myself writing a new article about a show at this amazing Luxembourgish venue: Mitsuko Uchida – Schubert.
For those of you who do not know her she is an amazing classical pianist and conductor born in Japan but naturalized in Britain (she also received Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire). The artist has performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras (Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philarmonic, London Symphony etc.) and she actually recently celebrated her 100th concert alongside the Cleveland Orchestra. She is particularly famous for her exceptional interpretations of Mozart and Shubert so attending a Shubert concert with her at the piano was a unique experience in itself.
The concert took place in the Grand Auditorium of the Philharmonie Luxembourg and it was a full house performance. We had the honor of living the Sonate D568, D784 and D959. Personally I am a fan of Shubert (which I consider to have some of the best piano pieces in musical history), but seeing these 3 Sonates performed by a master of the piano was thrilling, interesting and nerve-chilling.
As soon as the artist managed to touch the keys of the piano every member of the audience went into a sort of catatonic state, bewitched by the beauty of the music being played and of the artistry and skill presented by the performer. All the experience was nerve-racking because it was as if the pianist’s fingers were not even touching the keys of the instrument and every sound and every note was coming from some surreal place.
Also I think one of the most impressive aspects (not only of the performance but also of the performer) was the elegance and simplicity of the way she was. The flawless performance was accompanied with a nobility and humbleness that just magnified all aspects of the music.
All in all, like I said, there are amazing things happening at the Philharmonie Luxembourg this year and Mitsuko Uchida’s Shubert Piano concert was one of them. If you want to see more about this amazing piano artist you can find more details here.
If this article made you interested about what is happening at the Philharmonie Luxembourg (or you already were interested), you can find more details about their schedule here (remember, if you are under 27, the Philharmonie also has really good ticket prices for you).