Uchida, Mitsuko (1948–)
Uchida, Mitsuko (1948–)
Japanese pianist. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Dec 20, 1948.
Known as a Mozart specialist, received initial musical training in Tokyo, then traveled to Vienna (1961), to study with Richard Hauser at the Vienna Academy of Music; also studied with Stefan Askenase and Wilhelm Kempff; won the Beethoven Competition (1968) and came in 2nd in Chopin Competition in Warsaw (1970); by 1980s, had developed into a superb Mozart performer, winning raves for her survey of Mozart's piano concertos, which she performed with the English Chamber Orchestra (she also conducted from the keyboard), during the 1985–86 concert season in London; gave New York recital debut (Feb 1987); her performances of Chopin, Debussy, Bartok and Schoenberg were also of rare distinction.