Oscar Peterson / Trail Of Dreams

Inspired by the 16,000-kilometer, coast-to-coast recreation trail, Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite is comprised of twelve compositions: "Open Spaces," "Morning in Newfoundland," "The Okanagan Valley," "Dancetron," "Ballad to P.E.I.," "Cookin' on the Trail," "Banff the Beautiful," "Lonesome Prairie," "The French Fiddler," "Harcourt Nights," "Manitoba Minuet" and "Anthem to a New Land." Explains Peterson, "I feel that the music speaks to the picturesque and photographic scenic quality of various places in Canada that the Trans Canada Trail passes through." On this latest recording, composer and pianist are on equal terms as Montreal-born Peterson leads his quartet (Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius, Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and British drummer Martin Drew) with a 24-piece string orchestra under the direction of Michel Legrand, the illustrious French composer, conductor, orchestrator and pianist.