CD REVIEW

CLASSICAL Maurizio Pollini - Music of Debussy and Berg (Deutsche Grammophon): Even in our age of fearless piston-fingered pianists, very few virtuosos dare to play Debussy's ``Twelve Etudes'' in public. Italian pianist Maurizio Pollini is an exception; his indomitable technique has always been equal to any challenge. This disc shows him at his best; notes cascade from his fingers in a fluid stream. The pianist makes a strong case that these pieces were meant to have a sharp steel edge. Pollini reveals their hard chiseled forms and doesn't struggle for unnecessary poetry. A powerful, rich account of Berg's ``Sonata, Op. 1'' rounds out this excellent disc.