Roberto Sierra: Sons 13-14 & Estudios Trascendenta [CD]

IBS Classical presents a new monographic release dedicated to Roberto Sierra, the Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning Puerto Rican composer whose music is regularly performed by leading orchestras and ensembles worldwide. This album features Piano Sonatas Nos. 13 and 14 alongside the Transcendental Etudes (after a reading of Liszt), performed by American pianist Matthew Bengtson, a long-standing artistic collaborator of Sierra and one of today's most compelling interpreters of his piano works. Sonata No. 13 offers a bold "fragmented sonata," a mosaic-like structure that reimagines Beethoven's legacy through a distinctly contemporary lens. Sonata No. 14, inspired by the Moonlight Sonata, explores musical memory as a sonic specter, where fragments appear, dissolve, and transform. The Transcendental Etudes pay homage to Liszt while remaining unmistakably Sierra: virtuosic, rhythmically vibrant, infused with Afro-Caribbean energy, and rich in harmonic color and pedal resonance. Critically acclaimed as a "musician's pianist," Matthew Bengtson enjoys an international career as soloist, chamber musician, scholar, and educator. Widely recognized for his interpretations of Scriabin and Szymanowski, he has performed throughout Europe and the United States, including appearances at Carnegie Hall. A dedicated advocate of contemporary music, he has premiered numerous works and maintains a particularly close artistic partnership with Roberto Sierra. Bengtson is Associate Professor of Piano Literature at the University of Michigan and a Steinway Artist.