GC Mirage (The Loss of Memories) - Sketch 3
What will angels sing upon our loved ones knocking on heaven's door?
© 2026 giuliorisi.com
Release Background
“GC Mirage (The Loss of Memories ) - Sketch 3” is the third single from Giulio Risi’s upcoming concept album Seven Sketches of Loss, an acclaimed and innovative contemporary classical project exploring seven perspectives of human loss. Each track serves as a musical sketch, delving into a different emotional landscape guiding listeners through a reflective journey that suggests how different types of severance ultimately converge on the same path to freedom. The album marks Giulio’s return after 15 years of silence as a composer, symbolizing the rebirth of an artist ready to resume his musical journey with a renewed vision. Driven by a deep longing to explore how composition can transform states of mind into sound, this project reflects a profound evolution in his artistic expression.
The Song
"GC Mirage” (finalist at Piano City 2025), is a piece that blend classical and gospel, evoking the picture of a double loss: the loss of a brother, and the inevitable fading of shared memories.
“… I believe there's nothing beyond death. My brother GC believed the opposite. Upon his passing, as if to walk beside him, I tried to embrace his vision, imagining a song of angels, rising as he crossed into heaven’s light.”
About the Artist
Giulio Risi is a multi-award-winning composer, pianist, and writer known for his innovative fusion of contemporary classical music with elements of pop, gospel and jazz. His distinctive style combines lyrical melodies with sophisticated harmonies, crafting evocative soundscapes that transcend genres and deeply connect with listeners.
Risi’s career highlights include critically acclaimed solo albums and collaborations (most notably as a member of the English progressive rock band Jadis, produced by Marillion). His evolution from jazz to contemporary classical music showcases his versatility and artistic depth. What sets him apart is his ability to weave compelling narratives through his compositions, transforming personal experiences into immersive sonic storytelling.
Detailed biography: giuliorisi.com/bio1/bio-en
“Rich, evocative and deeply expressive ”
NeoPianoRecords
“Neoclassical: here comes the new frontier”
NTS Radio
“Haunting songs and amazing piano skills”
Kultur Müzik
“Enchanting compositions”
On Ingrowth Radio
“A bold reimagining of contemporary classical”
Peaceful Notes
“A new voice in neoclassical piano. Raw and elegant”
30 Doradus
“Unfiltered beauty. A style all his own”
Visioner
Giulio Risi creates musical landscapes where classical expressiveness merges with improvisational freedom. The Abyss (The Loss of Self) is not just a piano miniature but a profound philosophical reflection embodied in sound. The piece begins with a fragile, almost weightless melody that seems to… (read it all here)
— Music Dances While You Sleep
Risi’s composition The Abyss - The Loss of Self is a genre-bending piece that subtly blends rock elements with jazz and modern classical influences. If there’s such a thing as a new frontier of contemporary classical, this tune is it.
— Tunite Music
Lorna's Room (The Loss of Love) is unquestionably one of the most moving piano pieces we've ever heard. A fleeting yet deeply impactful neoclassical composition, the multi-award-winning Italian composer's latest offering is a haunting elegy. An emotional tale of absence and memory, melodically rich and delicately layered. It's a living piece of art, and what it doesn’t say in words is just as powerful as what it does say in tone, touch, and grace (read it all here)
— Savoy Tunes
Risi crafts an emotional environment steeped in memory, intimacy, and quiet sorrow. His long-awaited return to composing is deeply felt — not in a grandiose fashion, but in the precision, intention, and emotional integrity. The silence of his past years seems to have found its voice in the pauses, progressions, and textures of his music. Lorna’s Room (The Loss of Love) is a masterclass in emotional composition. It encapsulates Giulio Risi’s refined artistry and his rare ability to convey complex inner worlds through sound (read it all here)
— Dulaxi Magazine
Lorna’s Room is very much in the vein of Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds, or even early Ryuichi Sakamoto, but there’s something uniquely Risi about this composition. It doesn’t aim to impress: it aims to express. And in doing so, it becomes incredibly intimate. Risi doesn’t give us answers: he gives us space. Space to grieve, to reflect, to revisit our own “Lorna’s Room” , whatever or whoever that may be. Giulio Risi isn’t some upstart on their first EP. He’s a multi-award-winning composer and pianist whose career has spanned jazz, gospel, pop, and progressive rock (shoutout to his days with Jadis, produced by Marillion). And yet, this is his first original release in 15 years. Fifteen years. That’s not just a comeback: that’s a rebirth (read it all here)
— Odissey Magazine
Contemporary classical blended with jazz, gospel and subltle rock nuances. A truly original signature sound… (read it all here)
— Apricot Magazine (New York Edition)
In just two minutes a small cathedral of memory rises, sober, intense, radiant in its composure. GC Mirage is a musical prayer addressed to absence… (read it all here)
— Iggy Mag
The new work GC Mirage (The Loss of Memories) by acclaimed Italian composer Giulio Risi gently caresses the soul. A beautiful piano piece, graced with neoclassical influences and echoes of gospel music. The third sketch from his ambitious project Seven Sketches of Loss… (read it all here)
— Berlin on Air
Fifteen years of silence, then this return: a composer who, after walking through shadows, dares to play the light again. GC Mirage (The Loss of Memories): a sonic landscape explored like a ruin where every stone still whispers love. Rather than a piece is a passage: the journey of a man learning to say goodbye without erasing his memories… (read it all here)
— Extravafrench
Seven Sketches of Loss
(Compositions for piano and holograms)