Mozart, Bernstein, Lennon (Live)

Jazz pianist Iiro Rantala’s remarkable live album proves that barriers between musical genres needn’t exist. Electrifying performances of his own works, including the thrilling Freedom for prepared piano and orchestra, sit cheek-by-jowl with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. The latter is played with glorious swagger, Rantala’s own ingenious first-movement cadenza, by turns dream-like, witty, and charming, proving a brilliant foil to Mozart’s perfect artistry. The album is bookended with another genre-busting set: Bernstein’s overture to Candide, two of Rantala’s own pieces, again arranged for orchestra and piano, and a mesmerizing solo fantasy on John Lennon’s Imagine.