Steve Mikes has done a heck of a job putting this disc together. You can tell a lot of effort went into length and complexity of each track, and how the tracks fit together. More importantly, the music has melodies that soon become familiar, and rhythms/licks that push the limits of what the human hands can play! Through it all, the recording is pristine and full. As you can probably tell from the tracklisting, the CD tells a story of life. There are no lyrics, no fluff. This is all piano, played like a virtuoso. I recommend getting a copy if you appreciate classical music at all. This one will probably get you back into the style, as it has gotten me back into listening to classical. Even if you're not sure, you can put it on while studying, at Christmas, or on long car rides, and you are sure to be inspired and impressed.