Whoever first dreamt up the title The Only Piano/Opera/Banjo Album You ll Ever Need must have been hoping record buyers wouldn t take it too literally. A translation would be We Hope That When You ve Listened To This You ll Want To Buy Lots More Piano/Opera/Banjo Albums. So as an attempt to lure listeners into the world of the piano, how does this set measure up? Most of the all-time favourite piano pieces are here (though you won t find Golliwogg s Cakewalk) and childhood memories may well be stirred by the likes of Für Elise and Rondo alla Turca. It s not all solo piano--the orchestra is wheeled on for the Big Moments from concertos by Grieg, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Mozart and Rachmaninov (who also gets the famous 18th variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini). Among the big-name pianists represented are Geza Anda, Emanuel Ax, Emil Gilels, Vladimir Horowitz, Alfredo Perl, Kathryn Stott and Andrew Wilde. Recordings range in time from 1955 to 1999. Purists may bridle at the lollipop nature of the programme, but for those genuinely looking for an introduction to the instrument s richly rewarding repertoire, the 150 minutes of music on these two CDs should fit the bill nicely. --Keith Clarke