Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO) has made a strong start to 2016 with the announcement that pianist Mitsuko Uchida has joined as an artistic partner. MCO and Uchida’s first project together is a series of Mozart piano concertos.
In January alone they have nine concerts together, with a Spanish tour taking in Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Oviedo, and Bilbao. Each concert features two Mozart piano concertos alongside his Divertimento in B Flat Minor K 137, led by the MCO concertmaster Matthew Truscott. After the Spanish dates MCO and Uchida head to Luxembourg and Salzburg, before concluding the trip with a night of chamber music in Alte Oper’s Mozart Saal in Frankfurt.
In a press release, MCO described Uchida as, ‘One of the greatest Mozart interpreters of our time,’ and a player who, ‘leads the orchestra from the keyboard.’ The Japanese-born pianist has held artist in residence positions with Cleveland Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Konzerthaus, Salzburg Mozartwoche and Lucerne Festival. She has also curated concert series at both Carnegie Hall and Concertgebouw, and recorded all of Mozart’s sonatas for Decca (with whom she has an exclusive recording contract).
In October and November Uchida and MCO head to Japan, with a residency at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall marking the venue’s 30th anniversary. Uchida took part in Suntory Hall’s opening concert series back in 1986. A full list of Japanese dates has yet to be released.
Uchida and MCO will continue to collaborate on tours and other projects beyond 2016, although details have yet to be announced.