Poster Mitsuko Uchida
Mitsuko Uchida
Jennifer Taylor for The New York Times
Performance Today®

Seeking Balance

Mitsuko Uchida is one of the finest pianists in the world, especially known for the emotional depth of her performances. She could be working non-stop, but chooses to play less than she could, to leave space for relaxation and time with friends. Perhaps, it's that search for balance in her life that allows her to achieve such depth and breadth of emotion in her music. Today, we'll hear her in a performance of Beethoven's third piano concerto, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Allegro from Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat, K. 281
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida

Marin Marais: "The Bells of St. Genevieve"
Cellist Sol Gabetta, pianist Henri Sigfridsson, and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Schwetzingen Festival, Schwetzingen, Germany

Federico Moreno Torroba: Excerpts from "Estampas"
The Georgia Guitar Quartet
Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, Georgia

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and conductor Mariss Jansons
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Hour 2

Johann Sebastian Bach: First movement from Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings, and Continuo in C
Violinist Hilary Hahn and oboist Allan Vogel with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and conductor Jeffrey Kahane

Heinrich I. F. Biber: Sonata No. 5
Chatham Baroque
Synod Hall, Oakland, Pennsylvania

Johann Joseph Fux: Sonata Pastorale a Tre
Chatham Baroque
Synod Hall, Oakland, Pennsylvania

Christopher Deane: "Vespertine Formations"
Molly Yeh, Scott Crawford, Eric Huber, and Greg Tsalikis, marimbas
National Orchestral Institute, College Park, Maryland

Steven Bryant: "Ecstatic Waters"
The University of Texas Wind Ensemble with conductor Jerry Junkin
Bates Recital Hall, Austin, Texas

Johannes Brahms: Rondo from Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25
Pianist Shih-Wei Huang, violinist Benjamin Beilman, violist Roberto Diaz, and cellist Natalie Helm
Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia

Maurice Ravel: "Gaspard de la Nuit"
Pianist Haochen Zhang
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Fort Worth, Texas

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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