Both as conductor and as pianist, Daniel Barenboim seems to be in fine form as he enters his ninth decade; the present release is part of a series of albums and concerts marking his 80th birthday in 2022. It is true that encores, as a rule, are not the most virtuosic of pieces, but Barenboim picks some difficult ones, like the Chopin Etude in C sharp minor, Op. 10, No. 4 ("Torrent"), and it is hard to detect any sign that he is slowing down. The album of encores is not a new idea, but Barenboim's take on the concept shows his typical seriousness of mind. With the exception of the two final pieces by Albeniz and Debussy, the program consists of short pieces from the heart of the Romantic repertory by Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, and Chopin. There isn't a bit of the lighthearted fluff or the unexpected obscurity that often serve as encores. Each one is profoundly done, displaying Barenboim's remarkable control over rubato and slight shifts in tempo and reflecting a lifetime's experience of thinking about these pieces, some of the pianist's longtime favorites. There is a strong sense of hearing these pieces anew even though they are, for the most part, extremely familiar. This album makes a fine Barenboim souvenir, and it is an illustration of why he has become a truly beloved figure.