Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, Fantasie in C

"The masterly pianist Mitsuko Uchida is widely acclaimed for the refinement and intelligence of her playing. Schumann brings out her fanciful and impetuous side, as is clear on a wonderful recording of two major Schumann works, the 'Davidsbündlertänze' and the C major Fantasie (Op. 17). ... His piano music invites freedom and fantasy, especially 'Davidsbündler,' a suite. ... Ms. Uchida captures the music’s unbridled imagination. But at her core, since she is such an elegant and insightful musician, she also plays with an acute sensitivity to harmonic shadings and contrapuntal complexities and, when it is called for, uncanny textural clarity. This makes for an uncommon blend of rhapsodic freedom and revealing detail. The three-movement Fantasie is a homage to Beethoven and, despite its title, one of Schumann’s most ingeniously structured works. Ms. Uchida conveys both the architectural and fantastical elements in her magisterial performance" (Anthony Tommasini, "Classical Recordings," New York Times, 4/10/11).
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