It is hard to think of another album similar to this 2024 release by pianist , whose originality propelled it onto classical best-seller lists in the spring of that year. is the deceptively plain title; there are pieces in other genres than the here as well, and that's key. 's , piano pieces in a triple-meter Austrian folk-dance genre that preceded the waltz, are occasionally programmed as curiosities or filler but haven't (until now) been taken seriously. groups pieces mostly into sets of three and plays no fewer than 112 of them in a bit more than an hour, generally without pause. That sounds like a lot, but also plays , of various kinds, and that apparently didn't fit into any other the other categories, exploring the slight but definite differences among them. The all-important waltz was just beginning to develop at this point, and with as a guide, one can hear beginning to explore its rhythmic possibilities. 's approach focuses the listener's attention on small details of rhythm, melody, and register, and the music takes on an almost modern quality; has compared 's pieces to some by , and might also come to mind. Even with the varied rhythms and textures, to sustain the energy through all this essentially similar music is a virtuoso accomplishment on 's part, and one can marvel not only at his originality but also at his pianism. delivers the right kind of tightly focused sound from the Gustav Mahler Cultural Center in Dobbiaco, Italy, on an extraordinary release. ~ James Manheim