Review by Kathy Parsons

Solo Piano II is the follow-up to Aura Noctis’ 2024 release, Solo Piano. The nine tracks on the album are a combination of new works and solo piano arrangements of music she (Olga B. Garcia) composed for other combinations of instruments and vocals. I loved reviewing Solo Piano and the deeply emotional, expressive quality of the music on that album, and I’m happy to say that Solo Piano II is an equally-great follow-up! I’m also excited to learn that there could be a Solo Piano III somewhere down the line – I sure hope so! Solo Piano II has already been awarded the One World Music “Best Album for December 2024” award, so I’m not the only one who thinks this is a great album!

Aura Noctis is a Neoclassical/Darkwave project created by Spanish composer/pianist Olga B. Garcia. Olga started playing the piano and composing music at an early age. Her music has been featured in radio podcasts, short films and other projects and doesn’t fit neatly into one genre or style of music – something I always really appreciate!

Solo Piano II begins with “Behind the Mask,” a very dark and powerful piece that begins quietly and tentatively (or perhaps “cautiously”) and builds quickly to a much bigger sound before receding a bit and then practically exploding – an impressiv bno start! “Nana” was composed for a sampler album with the theme of “Music written for and inspired by babies.” Much of the piece is played in the upper half of the piano keyboard, giving the music feelings of innocence and lightness – very different from the first track, but every bit as compelling. “Amnis” was originally composed for piano and oboe, and its title refers to rapidly-flowing water. In constant motion, the music is powerful and in constant motion, becoming more peaceful near the end. “El Cantar de las Hojas” was originally composed in 2011 as a gentle piano lullaby. It has been recorded with and without voices and other instrumentation, but I love the simplicity and directness of the piano solo as well as the sensitivity of Olga’s playing. “Primer Viaje” goes back at least 25 years and has appeared on several albums in different forms. The title translates as “First Voyage,” and the piece expresses a sense of adventure as well as the uncertainty of venturing into the unknown. “Desde el Silencio” (“From the Silence”) feels very dark and mournful to me – a deeply emotional musical expression that became a favorite the first time I heard it and still is after quite a few plays. “La Danza del Duende” has several meanings that include a heightened emotional state and often refers to flamenco. Very passionate and heartfelt! “Let Go” is much gentler and feels like a heart-to-heart talk with a loved one who is going through difficult times – beautiful! The album closes with “Renacer” (“Reborn”), the longest track on the album at 5 1/2 minutes. It has several themes that are seamlessly woven together to express strongly contrasting emotions that range from quiet and introspective to dark and powerful – very cinematic!

Solo Piano II is outstanding from the first note to the last and I give it my highest recommendation! It is available to stream or download from Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as many streaming services including Pandora and Spotify. Don’t miss this one!

January 24, 2025