Mitsuko Uchida Says What She Thinks - The New York Times

The star pianist sat for a candid, occasionally tense interview in which she discussed creativity, the pandemic and why she doesn’t conduct Beethoven. By Javier C. Hernández Mitsuko Uchida is one of the world’s foremost pianists, renowned for her crystalline touch and her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert. She is in demand at leading concert halls and festivals, but is also a celebrated mentor to young performers. She is of such stature that she often travels with her own 1,064-pound Steinway Model D concert grand piano, as well as a dedicated technician for it. Periodically, for about two years, I had been working to land an interview with Uchida, 75, who was born in Japan and moved at age 12 to Austria, where her father became Japan’s ambassador. She remained there to study music when his diplomatic career took him elsewhere, and now lives in London. At this point (many of her recordings are considered standards), she has little need for publicity. But she agreed to speak one re

The star pianist sat for a candid, occasionally tense interview in which she discussed creativity, the pandemic and why she doesn’t conduct Beethoven. By Javier C. Hernández Mitsuko Uchida is one of the world’s foremost pianists, renowned for her crystalline touch and her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert. She is in demand at leading concert halls and festivals, but is also a celebrated mentor to young performers. She is of such stature that she often travels with her own 1,064-pound Steinway Model D concert grand piano, as well as a dedicated technician for it. Periodically, for about tw