Roberto Sierra: Sonatas 13-14 & Estudios Trascendentales

Featuring

Matthew Bengtson
Roberto Sierra

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Composer Biography

Roberto Sierra, the composer, was born in 1953 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and studied composition in Puerto Rico and Europe, including with György Ligeti.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Roberto Sierra's Piano Sonata No. 14 is related to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, representing what remains in a listener's memory, with fragments appearing and disappearing, distorted by time.

Compositional Technique

Roberto Sierra's Piano Sonata No. 13 is a "broken sonata" where traditional movements are scattered, creating a mosaic that implies a linear sonata when reordered.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Roberto Sierra's recent piano music, including the works on this album, is influenced by salsa music and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

Compositional Technique

The Estudios de ejecución trascendental by Roberto Sierra pay homage to Liszt's etudes, sometimes becoming an eroded memory of the original model.

Interpretation

Matthew Bengtson, the pianist, is a proponent of historical performance practice, frequently performing on period instruments and incorporating techniques like improvised preludes and ornamented reprises.

Performer Biography

Matthew Bengtson, the pianist on this recording, is acclaimed as a "musician's pianist" and is known for his interpretations of Alexander Scriabin and Karol Szymanowski.