Two pianists, an Italian and a Finn, play jazz with humor in the venerable Berlin Philharmonie. The sentence has the charm of comedy, if it weren't for the reality: Stefano Bollani and iiro Rantala do exactly what the sentence says. And how!

Opening a piano jazz album with Giuseppe Verdi's Prelude La Traviata is a bit cheeky. The little embellishments and other little games with which the duo enriches the familiar composition are clearly even more so and also make the direction clear: it may have a serious base, but please with skill and fun. And with appropriate feeling.

The interpretation of Lucio Dallas Caruso, whose refrain “Ti volgio bella sai” is almost an anthem, shows what such a sensitive approach to role models can look like. How elegantly and cleverly Rittala and Bollani play around the basic composition, vary it and still carry it is impressive.

All'inizio, a composition by Bollani, provides a rhythmic contrast with its lively entrance, ragtime feel, fingers that swipe across the keyboard and then serve up a fun potpourri of questions, answers and other gimmicks in the solo passage. Or June by iiro Rantala, who comes to the end several times.

And so it goes on. There are seven pieces in total, each of which has its own character and entertains. Including Bollani and Rittala in the renowned Jazz at Berlin Philharmonic series is a good decision.

The live album exudes a mood, sensitivity and charm that enriches the series and convincingly immortalizes another nuance of jazz. And as the cherry on the acoustic cake, the spatial positioning of the two grand pianos in the listening room is unquestionable and unique.

A beautiful enrichment. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Stefano Bollani, piano
Iiro Rantala, piano