It's been a long time since I have heard something so beautiful. Iiro Rantala, the exuberant Finnish pianist, has once again created a kaleidoscope of multiple musical worlds, adding meaningful virtuosity, melodious richness, dramatic tension, and cinematic emotion. "Veneziana" is an album as vast as a city, a programmatic musical description, as only Rantala could write, reminding us of Nietzsche's words that if he were to look for another word for music, it would be Venice. Indeed, just like the city built on water, the metropolis of art and myths, the album offers surprises in every piece. Alongside the members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Iiro Rantala, the perfect man for this kind of musical exposition, with classical studies in Helsinki and jazz in New York, will be telling stories that could have happened in Venice, skillfully exploring genres, pickingwhatwould suit better his unique, colorful, and humorous style, on the stage of the famous hall. Was Sibelius ever in Venice? No. But Prokofiev or Mozart? We don't know, but they find their way into Rantala's music, just as Monteverdi or Vivaldi are cleverly illustrated instrumentally. "Veneziana" is the most beautiful work for piano and chamber orchestra written in the 21^st century.