Yuki Rodrigues is a pianist/composer born to a Portuguese father and a Japanese mother. At the age of 30, she was forced to abandon her musical career due to a neuro-muscular injury that compromised her artistic journey for almost 18 years. Now, she is back with a SACD/CD titled Search for Eden / Travessia Namban, the result of many hours of effort and dedication, produced under the masterful guidance of João Ganho.

The final result is nothing short of astonishing, with music that is at times full of emotion and feeling, and at other times exuding energy that reflects what Yuki Rodrigues had to persevere through to get here. Listening to the main track Search for Eden – I listened to the entire album three times to get a fuller idea of what lies behind it, but I think I’ll have to listen even more, because each listening is a discovery, a magnificent journey (and I take the liberty here to adapt the title of the beautiful book that inspired Maria João Pires' album about Schubert's Impromptus) that can be repeated endlessly, without tiring the body or the soul.

It is entering a fascinating world where every note comes across as so alive, so striking, so felt and necessary, that it fills our soul with emotion. This track is a marvelous work of composition and interpretation, with a finale that surprises us through the prolonged silence, a crucial moment for making us understand all the music that has been played up to that point. I didn’t hear notes in that silence, but I’m sure I sensed them in every second it lasted, such was the impression Search for Eden left on me.

This atmosphere continues in Flowing, in fact, it’s present throughout the album, but Travessia Namban has an entry with a different musical texture, yet striking, with the left hand asserting itself as though with a sense of urgency, making a statement of presence, of personality. And in the middle of Travessia Namban, we are even treated to an excerpt from Barco Negro, by Amália!

The surprise, at least for me, was the presence of an organ in track 4. Majestic, it creates an ambiance and reverberation so captivating that it transports us to a grand cathedral. And all this musical splendor ends with the melodious Balada do Rio, followed by the complete Search for Eden, which fills us with pleasure for almost 20 minutes without any fatigue.

This is a precious work that makes us (re)appreciate music with new eyes, a magnificent tribute to Yuki Rodrigues courage and perseverance. Not forgetting the careful studio production work by João Ganho, who superbly handled every detail and masterfully highlighted the musical content and Yuki Rodrigues excellent performance, a performer so full of depth that she intertwines every note into a bouquet of fragrance that makes us dedicate ourselves 100% to listening to her and the music, without paying attention to analytical details.

This is the album that will stay at the top of my collection!