RECORD OF THE MONTH
Roberto SIERRA (b.1953)
Piano Trio no.1 Trío Tropical (1991) [16:55]
Piano Trio no.2 (2002) [13:53]
Piano Trio no.3 Romántico (2008) [15:50]
Fanfarria, Aria y Movimiento Perpetuo, for violin and piano (2000)
[6:28]
Trío Arbós (Miguel Borrego (violin); José Miguel Gómez
(cello); Juan Carlos Garvayo (piano))
rec. Auditorio Nacional, Madrid, February 2009. DDD
NAXOS AMERICAN CLASSICS 8.559611 [53.05] 
Rather curiously, this release marks the second time Naxos have published
the Piano Trio no.1 by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra. It first
appeared in 2007 on their first disc devoted to his music, entitled 'New Music
with a Caribbean Accent' (Naxos 8.559263). There it was performed by members
of the Continuum ensemble. This is now in fact the third CD of Sierra's works
released by Naxos. The second, his Missa Latina, is reviewed here.
The three piano trios featured here span nearly two decades. The jerky, hammered
rhythm of the opening bars of Piano Trio no.1, segueing into a lilting
Latino-jazz section, announces immediately a composer of considerable originality.
The work is subtitled Trío Tropical, and the three movements
incorporate the rhythms and colours of Sierra's childhood in Puerto Rico.
A sultry Habanera nocturna follows the first movement, and the last, in two
contrasting parts, transforms from a languorous Intermezzo religioso
into an exhilarating moto perpetuo, in which the three instruments
take a turn in the spotlight like sophisticated jazz soloists.
The spectacularly imaginative Piano Trio no.2 is a second trío
tropical, based on a twelve-tone row untransposed and uninverted. This
must be the most immediately attractive 'serial' music ever written! The first
movement is entitled Clave de Mediodía. Clave is the
rhythmic base of Afro-Cuban music, whose jerky pulse plays through the movement,
which ends surprisingly with thirty seconds of minimalism! In his detailed
liner-notes, Sierra describes the agitated, virtuosic second movement, Espejos
('Mirrors'), as a "mirage of counterpoint", and the last, which follows a
brief scherzo, as "music for an imaginary ritual", likening the throbbing,
almost Stravinskian rhythms to those of Afro-Caribbean drumming.
The Fanfarria, Aria y Movimiento Perpetuo is a shortish but memorable
work in one movement for violin and piano. Sierra writes that the opening
intervals are reminiscent of sonorities that Copland employed in his music,
but that is a purely personal view - any link here with Copland seems technical
at best. Sierra's stated intention for this piece, to create a "rhythmic evocation
of salsa", likewise seems open to other interpretations - this is as much
a European trio as it is a Latin American one. One thing that is certain is
its virtuosity, particularly in the torrid perpetuo finale, superbly
performed by violinist Borrego and pianist Garvayo.
The recent Piano Trio no.3, dedicated to and premiered by the Trio
Arbós, is subtitled Romántico, "to denote the expansive
and broad musical gestures evocative of late-nineteenth-century chamber music",
in Sierra's words. At the same time, however, he again integrates Afro-Caribbean
elements, succeeding once more in paying homage to the popular music of Puerto
Rico by seamlessly weaving those elements into a considerable work of art
music. The third movement, Con gran sentimiento, como un 'Bolero',
is a particularly beautiful example; this is not Ravel's dance-like Bolero,
but a Latin American ballade. The thrilling final Agitado moves back
and forth between salsa and Austro-Germanic tradition with exceptional skill
and invention.
The Arbós Trio have been playing together since they were founded in
1996 and have built up a sizeable discography, principally of Hispanic music.
They perform Sierra's often virtuosic music with great accomplishment and
conviction. Recording quality is very good throughout, but even if it were
bad, this would still be an outstanding disc.
Byzantion
This must be the most immediately attractive 'serial' music ever written!