"I drift into her arms / Holding her is where I learned forgiveness..."
On the tender, tactile, translucent "Holding her is where I learned forgiveness" Peruvian artist / pianist Sergio Diaz De Rojas collaborates with multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Lo-Fang (the musical monker of Matthew Jordan nee Hemerlein) and it is, as they say, a match made in heaven. With what feels like the rhythmic mechanical pedals of an antique pump organ or the mechanics of a piano itself, painfully beautiful piano notes offer what feels like an angelic but melancholy dance, awkward it it's bruised sometimes stilted sound, a creaky framework for Lo-Fang's stunning vocal countenance. As his lyrics tumble and float down to the floor like feathers, the words push emotional cues in your brain and heart.
Lo-Fang shares:
"Sergio asked me in December of 2021 to write a few lyrics and sing a melody for a song he had written for his new album that was partly inspired by his grandfather going through the process of dying as well as his love for Seraphina," (pauses for reflection) "The image of an individual reflecting on the love experienced in this lifetime from the bittersweet comfort of a deathbed was the image I remember drawing from... whether I heard this correctly from Sergio’s lips or not remains to be seen."
and adds:
"However it is that the lyrical content ended up being what it is isn’t quite important as being able to imagine this tender poignant time of release and gratitude which is at the essence of “Holding her is where i learned forgiveness”. a very long title, for a very brief and very powerful living melody."
The brevity of the words give way to a violin and piano notes dancing, playing off the same vocal melody. Incredibly subtle but complex and devastatingly pretty.
[Sergio Díaz De Rojas' upcoming album "Muerte en una tarde de verano", due out March 10th via Nettwerk, is a drifting song cycle of spare, contemplative piano that's suffused in melancholy but resists giving into despair.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://soundcloud.com/bonjoursergio
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dhkL5V7ldKvybgSy3ps27
https://www.instagram.com/bonjoursergio/
https://bonjoursergio.com/
Sergio Díaz De Rojas is a Peruvian pianist and composer currently based in Valencia, Spain, who has had music in his blood since he was born. Raised in a family of musicians, e took inspiration from his grandfather and his grandfather’s sister, both accomplished pianists and composers. It was the latter relative —his great aunt Elsa— who first taught Sergio classical piano and became the guiding force in his musical development, introducing him to Bach and Chopin when he was 11.
Though classically trained in his youth, Sergio had an epiphany at university when he discovered neoclassical composers such as Ólafur Arnalds, Yann Tiersen, Nils Frahm, and Max Richter. “It was a very big revelation for me to discover that there were people alive, making this music that is connected to classical music but that also feels so contemporary and relatable,” he describes.
Sergio has announced his signing to the Nettwerk Music Group, where he is prepping the release of a new album in the Spring of 2023. To celebrate the occasion, today he releases the new track "Maracuyá / Barranco,” a picturesque, piano-driven track with warmth around the edges and an unmistakable sense of place.
Sergio has released one album, three EPs, and various stand-alone singles, and over the years, Sergio’s works have been streamed over eighteen million times worldwide. He also runs the neo-classical label and creative agency Piano and Coffee. He has participated on diverse initiatives such as Project XII by Deutsche Grammophon, Piano Layers by 7K, and Piano Day by LEITER.
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