<div>Russell Sherman has been hailed as "that rarest of performers--a thinking man's virtuoso" (Chicago Tribune), and <i>Piano Pieces </i>is his scintillating excursion into the world of piano and its multiple spheres of affect and influence. From pithy reflections on tone, technique, and the thorny matter of thumbs to ruminations on how such a machine could be the voice and repository of priceless human messages both lyrical and complex, <i>Piano Pieces</i> examines the current status of music, piano-playing, and pedagogy through the noisy filter of contemporary culture.<br></div>