In the great C minor Concerto, K491, the opening tutti rages with all the ferocity of middle-period Beethoven, and when the piano enters it is pleading, fragile. …I found the last [movement] that series of mainly tormented and ever more convoluted variations, as powerful as any performance I have heard... The much sunnier A major Concerto, K488, is perhaps a less problematic piece to play. Uchida...in the slow movement rises to heights of eloquent grief that are demanded, but seldom risked. The last movement is gloriously abandoned.

…here is sublime Mozart-playing whether in C minor turbulence or A major radiance. In K491… Uchida conveys an ineffable sadness with sudden withdrawals of such subtlety that all the shades of autumn seem with us… in K488, while nothing is plain sailing, everything is as natural as it is revelatory. When have you heard the central F sharp minor Siciliano more gently or lovingly confided, or the opera buffa finale more joyfully spun off? ...the Cleveland Orchestra are entirely at one with their inspired soloist. ...even a few bars will convince you that you are listening to one of the truly great artists of our time.

every phrase is elegantly tooled, every texture perfectly weighted. The Cleveland Orchestra is currently one of the finest in the world, and it is fascinating to hear it scaling down its usually opulent sound to the almost chamber-music transparency that Uchida obviously expects.