Schumann: Waldszenen; Sonata No 2; Gesänge der Frühe

If you want directness and fluidity in Schumann's Waldszenen, Mitsuko Uchida's new recording won't be for you. Her playing of Schumann's venture into the forest is thoughtful and deliberate, at times even hesitant, as if she's engaging in last-minute checks to make sure every mood and note is shaped and balanced to perfection. The impassioned fast movements of the Sonata in G minor, Op 22, flare excitingly, the slow movement floats dreamily. Most impressive in Uchida's hands are the five strangely unanchored pieces of Gesänge der Frühe, dealing with "the sensations engendered by the approach and gradual emergence of morning". Here she somehow manages to convey the music as both lucid and enigmatic. deccaclassics.com