Mitsuko to grace the stage

Aug 25 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

WORLD-FAMOUS pianist Mitsuko Uchida (right) will play her only UK concert this year in Perth.

Perth Concert Hall is the sole British venue on the award-winning performer’s latest tour, which sees her take to the stage in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona and other major cities.

Uchida will gave an exclusive Fair City recital of Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas on Monday, September 21, with no other UK dates on her schedule until May.

Her Perth audience are sure to give her a warm welcome when she returns to Perth Concert Hall: in 2006 the Japanese musician wowed her Fair City audience when she chose the venue to make her first Scottish appearance in 15 years.

Her charm and virtuosity made for a memorable evening, coloured with humour when an unscheduled lights failure brought her performance to a temporary halt.

Svend Brown, the hall’s classical music creative director, said: “Mitsuko Uchida is the perfect performer to launch ‘Beethoven - A Life in Eight Chapters’, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to Perth.”

Uchida’s latest recording celebrates her close association with the Cleveland Orchestra as she directs them from the piano in two of Mozart’s best-loved concertos.

Tickets for her Perth Concert Hall performance are available from the Horsecross box office on 01738 621 031, or www.horsecross.co.uk