I’ll keep this one short. Celebrity-packed recordings usually swing between extremes: They’re either a slam dunk or a total misfire. This one—featuring Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, Anthony Newman on continuo, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s—is an absolute success. Simply stated, I can’t imagine this music sounding any better.

I bought this CD years ago, mostly because I have a passing familiarity with the Eaken Piano Trio. (John Eaken is, or at least was, based in my hometown, and his wife was an occasional substitute teacher in my school district.) But I’ve never listened to it in its entirety until now. When I’ve put it on in the past, I usually found it underwhelming, and my assumption was that some combination of the music or the performance was fairly lackluster. And wow, was I ever mistaken. The first piece on the album—Lalo Schifrin’s Hommage à Ravel—gets off to a bit of a slow start, but it builds to a terrific climax. Gunther Schuller’s Piano Trio is wonderfully angular and jazzy, a wonderful listen. But the real find here is Gerald M. Shapiro’s Piano Trio. I’m not familiar with Shapiro’s work apart from this, but this is a really terrific piece, and a great opportunity for the ensemble to shine. ​The recording could be a bit clearer, but the performances throughout are wonderful.

This album is a great example of why I’ve set this goal of listening through everything, beginning to end. There’s great music here, but I’ve gone years without finding it. Highly recommended.