Album reviews for Daniel Rojas’ critically acclaimed album “Bliss of Heaven: Music of the New World” 
(Da Vinci Classics)
– now available online and via the artist’s website.
Daniel Rojas, piano/composer
Baldini Quartet (Brazil)
Stephen Cuttriss, bandonéon
“SalTango sets the tone: a sweeping luxuriance, not just from the strings, but from the piano, itself. Part of Daniel Rojas’ magic as a composer, arranger and pianist is that as well as giving his instrument its rightful place in the foreground (including with dashing improvised solos), he also loves weaving it amid the strings…. We are back to Argentina for Rojas’ Navegar (with Cuttriss’ elegiac bandoneon), before forays to Peru and Brazil, all coloured by the poetic perceptions and fizzing virtuosity of an Australian-based Chilean.” – Sydney Morning Herald, 2021 [4 stars]
“really fine playing throughout… this is by some distance the best arrangement of Libertango that I have heard.
If at this point, you are starting to think that is just another tango album, don’t. […] The Mambo Influenciado of Cuban Jesús Valdés provides an upbeat and jazz-inflected interlude between the slow, sad works that precede and follow it, further evidence of the intelligence behind the programming of the works on the album… Hanacpachap Cussicuinin (The Bliss (or Joy) of Heaven)… is an exceptionally powerful and striking piece… The performances are wonderful: Rojas’ piano playing has great verve and tenderness. The Sáo Paulo-based Baldini Quartet and Australian Cuttriss make for perfect partners across all the varying moods and styles. Each time I listened to this CD, I heard more to enjoy, and that possibly is the best recommendation I can make for this.” – MusicWeb International, 2021
“Talking about orthodoxy, Daniel is anything but. That is the charm of this CD. As well as relying on the essential South American rhythms, Rojas’ compositions, in some of the pieces, filters themes from musical history…. In closing, I’ll refer to Rojas notes describing the recording sessions in Brazil that produced this CD where he writes: “the personal and musical chemistry [in the sessions] was palpable, synergetic and inspirational. Heaven blew us a kiss and we bathed in its bliss!” Amen.” – Sounds like Sydney, 2021
“Chilean-born Australian Daniel Rojas’ name is synonymous with brilliant Latin American pianism, grounded in the classical idiom. His aim he says, is to bring the “Latin American vernacular music into the classical concert hall.” He is achieving this with astonishing and poular success. In the high-octane performance that unfolds, Rojas and Ensemble Apex Strings stir the passions and seduce our souls. […] There is tremendous chemistry between Rojas and the Ensemble Apex Strings, cohesive and dynamic. Rojas is a charismatic performer whose music gives us a window into several worlds. His music speaks of myriad colours and tales from across Latin America; music of the old world is fused with the new; classical traditions are woven into indigenous Latin American aesthetics, paying homage to the great masters. Rojas spins his dazzling improvisations with ease, combining his music with entertaining insights and historical narratives. These earworms will take a while to dispel.” – Limelight Magazine, May 2021 (live review – 5 stars)