Composers
Browse Subito/Notevole composers:Roberto Sierra (b. 1953)
(Subito - ASCAP)
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Biographical Information
Roberto Sierra is simply a man who loves to write music-"it is not a career, a job-it is a vocation, a passion-I love it." Even if there were no commission, no deadline, Roberto would be writing, spinning his colorful life affirming creations. "Every day I compose, I love to compose, it is not a choice." Roberto is the scion of a distinguished line of Latin American composers, heir to rhythms and colors that to cooler northern ears have an irresistibly exotic and warm character. He was born and grew up in Puerto Rico. However it was the years in Europe, principally London's Royal College of Music and with Ligeti in Hamburg that he discovered both the wider world of western music and that as a Puerto Rican he had a special place in it. Back, first in Puerto Rico and then in the United States (he holds the chair of composition at Cornell University) he found the two threads began to intertwine. His roots in Latin America and his subsequent identification with the west European tradition defined one another and his music gained strength and character from the fusion.
Roberto is a composer not much given to elaborate schemes and plans. "I don't like to plan too much-the spirit of the piece-what will I feel when I sit down?-It must be a dialogue between planning and spontaneity." In fact ideas do need to gestate, not in a rigidly formalist structure but in the hurly-burly of everyday. When the music is ready the writing will come. The everyday is something Roberto welcomes. He delights in the world around him. Painting and poetry, the distillations of life are constant companions . From time to time they have made specific appearances in his music. The poetry of B. Decquir and Scott Momaday and the paintings of Bosch and Turner have been the subjects of Roberto's works. Roberto also speaks enthusiastically of his garden, indeed he has written a set of flower pieces for flute. However his reference to the riot of tropical color in Puerto Rico is tinged with a note of nostalgia. Gardens in up-state New York are just not the same.
Walking the line between a heritage that is not central to the western tradition and the very core of that tradition as carried on by the American symphony orchestras is not a problem that worries Roberto. For him he builds like a symphonist, but the bricks he builds with, a turn of phrase, a fleeting rhythm, these are the spontaneous deep felt blood of the Latin tradition, never far below the surface, always filling out the great formal heritage of the west.
Roberto is a composer who loves life, no hair shirt in a freezing attic for him. Music is one of the good things of life to be enjoyed, lived and loved. His music is a tonic in this often sorry world. His love affair with life extends beyond painting, literature and poetry to one other splendid area of expertise. He is an enologist of passion and delight. His pleasure in the complex sensual world of great wines is almost as profound as his delight in wonderful music, but not quite.
Reviews
about Trio Tropical...
Made a splendid impression. A master of rhythm and atmosphere, gathering Caribbean, Latin American and jazz elements into a classical idiom . . .these diverse sounds intersect within a keenly demarcated frame; the result is a sensuous, ever-shifting musical picture poised between impressionism and rhythmic modernism. This is as fine a piano trio as has appeared in recent years.
The New York Times
about Imagenes...
Roberto Sierra might be considered the Aaron Copland of Puerto Rico. His music is richly colorful, folk inspired, and infused with dance rhythms common to the Caribbean.
The American Record Guide
about Bayoan...
Mr. Sierra's score was vivid all the way through; he is first and foremost. A brilliant and colorful orchestrator, master of a wide range of advanced textures, but also an engaging melodist and manipulator of rhythm.
The New York Times
about Saludo...
Sierra's neatly crafted, rhythmically vigorous fanfare was an exhilarating dialogue between the orchestra and a large percussion section.
The Washington Post
about Glosas...
A fascinating new work-a shimmering composition of scales layered over and under sophisticated Caribbean rhythms... Sierra has created a score that sounds both exotic and familiar.
Chicago Sun Times
about Idilio, Predinbulo...
Sierra represents a new generation of American composers who seek ways to combine a progressive musical idiom with more accessible traditional elements, particularly those drawn from folk and popular music. Sierra is a skillful and imaginative creator, and the sources of his musical inspiration have enduring appeal. The programmatic element is key in bridging the gulf between a moribund avant garde and concert audiences who must be won back for contemporary classical music. Roberto Sierra is winning them back...
American Music
about Evocaciones...
Easily the most profound-with multi-layered complexity, tension, varying levels of energy and heavily brooding moments-all the things that make life so grand.
The Tribune Review (Pittsburgh)
List of Works
Band Music
Diferencias
(1997) - 10'
2,1 eb,2,bcl 2 2a sx, t sx, b sx, 4331 euph; cb, pno, timp, 4 perc
Fandangos (arr. Scatterday)
(2000 / 2001) - 12'
2,1 2,2, eh, Eb, 4Bb, bcl, 2, cbn; ssax, asax, tsax, bsax; 4331; timp; 3perc, pno, hp; str
Fanfarria
brass ensemble & percussion (2002) - 3'
4331; timp, cym, tam-tam, drm
Rapsodia
for solo trumpet & wind ensemble (1996) - 11'
trumpet; picc, fl, al fl, ob, eh, 3 cl, bs cl, 2 bn, 2 al sx, ten sax, bari sax, 4 tpt, 4 hn, 4 tbn, 2 euph, 2 tuba, pno, timp, 3 perc
Sinfonía No. 3 (La Salsa) (arr. Scatterday)
(2005 / 2009) - 23'
2,1 2,1 4,bcl 2,1; ssx, asx, tsx, bsx; 4331 euph; timp, perc, hp, pno
Chamber Ensemble
Bongo +
for solo percussion & chamber ensemble (2006) - 20'
percussion; flute/picc, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, wtring quintet
Cancionero Sefardi (Sephardic Songs)
(1999) - 16'
voice, flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello
2. El mi querido bevió vino (My lover drank wine);
3. Al kenar de la nixava (Around the corner)
4. Pregoneros van y vienen (Town criers come and go)
5. Una matica de ruda (A little plant of rue)
6. Dolores tiene la reina (The queen has pains)
7. Avridme galanica (Open up for me, beautiful girl)
Con Tres
(1990) - 15'
clarinet, bassoon, piano
Concertino
(1995) - 15'
111 (Bb, Eb); 1110 perc, pno synth (on cd); stg qnt
Concierto da Camera
(2008) - 22'
woodwind quintet & string quartet
Concierto Nocturnal
(1985) - 15'
harpsichord, flute, oboe/English horn, clarinet, violin, cello
Cuentos
(1997) - 12'
1111 a sax; 1110; 2perc, piano; string quintet
Doce Bagatelas (Twelve Bagatelles)
(2000) - 20'
string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello)
El Extasis de Santa Teresa
(1997) - 15'
soprano; flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, harp, string quintet
2. Oración
3. Visión
4. Éxtasis
5. Aleluya
El Sueño de Tartini
(2007) - 9'
flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano
Essays
(1987) - 10'
woodwind quintet [flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon
Fanfarria
brass ensemble & percussion (2002) - 3'
4331; timp, cym, tam-tam, drm
Kandinsky
(2004) - 17'
violin, viola, cello, piano
Memorias Tropicales
(1986) - 13'
string quartet [2 violins, viola, cello]
Octeto para Vientos (Octet for Winds)
(2003) - 10'
woodwind octet [2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 horns, 2 bassoons]
Pequeño Concierto
for guitar & chamber ensemble (1998) - 10'
guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello
Piano Trio No. 2
(2002) - 12'
violin, cello, piano
Piano Trio No. 3 Romántico
(2008) - 13'
violin, cello, piano
Piezas Características
(1991) - 16'
bass clarinet, trumpet, percussion [glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, suspended cymbal, güiro, maracas], piano, violin, cello
Recordando una Melodia Olvidada
(2008) - 11'
clarinet, violin, piano
Salsa para Vientos
(1983) - 7'
woodwind quintet [flute, clarinet, English horn, bassoon, horn]
Songs from the Diaspora
(2007) - 20'
soprano, piano, string quartet [2 violins, viola, cello]
Tres Fantasías
(1994) - 11'
clarinet, cello, piano
Trio Tropical
(1991) - 14'
violin, cello, piano
Turner
(2002) - 14'
flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano
2. The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons
3. Moonlight
4. Sunrise with Sea Monsters
5. The Sun Setting among Dark Clouds
6. Festive Lagoon Scene, Venice?
Chamber Orchestra
Serenata
(2004) - 15'
2222; 2200; timp, perc, pno; stgs
The Güell Concert
(2006) - 16'
1111; 1110; perc, pno; stgs
Choral Music
Bayoán
for solosts, SATB chorus & orchestra (1991, rev. 1993) - 45'
soprano & baritone soloists, SATB chorus, 2,1 2 2,1 2; 2220; 3perc, hp, pno/cel; stgs
2. Descarga
3. Bayoán
4. Intermezzo
5. Marién
6. Elegía
Cantos Populares
(1983) - 9'
SATB chorus, a cappella
2. Ensueño
3. Canto Nocturno
Guakía Baba
(1992) - 5'
SATB chorus
Lux Aeterna
(1995) - 5'
SATB chorus
Missa Latina (Pro Pace)
(2006) - 75'
soprano, baritone soloists; SATB chorus; 2,1 2,1 2,bs cl 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, pno, hp; stgs
Concertos
Bongo +
for solo percussion & chamber ensemble (2006) - 20'
percussion; flute/picc, oboe, clarinet, bassoon; horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, wtring quintet
Con Madera, Metal y Cuero
concerto for percussion & orchestra (1998) - 28'
solo percussion; 2,1 2,1 2(eb),1 2,1; 4331; timp, 3perc, pno/cel; str
Concerto for Saxophones & Orchestra
(2000) - 22'
soprano & tenor saxophones; 2,1 2 2,1 2; 4330; timp, 3perc, drum set, hp, pno; str
Concerto for Viola
(2006) - 16'
solo viola, percussion, strings
Concierto Barroco
(1996) - 10'
guitar; 2222; 2200; 1perc; stgs
Concierto Caribe
(1993) - 20'
flute; 1111; 2100; 2perc, pno, cel; str
Cuatro Versos
cello concerto (1999) - 20'
cello; 2222; 2110; 2 perc, piano; strings
Danzas Concertantes
guitar concerto (2007) - 26'
guitar; 2222; 2210; timp, perc; stgs
Doble Concierto para Violin y Viola
(2003) - 25'
violin, viola; 2222; 4331; timp, perc, harp, pno; stgs
Evocaciones
violin concerto (1994) - 22'
violin; 2222; 4331; timp, 3perc, pno; stgs
Fantasia Corelliana
(1999) - 11'
2 guitars; strings
Folias
concerto for guitar & orchestra (2002) - 12'
guitar; 2222; 2200; perc; stgs
Glosas
for piano & orchestra (1987) - 15'
piano; 2,pic 2 2 2,cbn; 4221; 3 perc, hp; stgs
Imagenes (Double Concerto)
for violin, guitar & orchestra (1993) - 23'
violin; guitar; 2 1,eh 1,bcl 2; 2100; 2perc; stgs
2. Juegos
3. Bailes
Of Discoveries
concerto for two guitars & orchestra (1992) - 22'
2 guitars; 2222; 2200; 2 perc; stgs
Pequeño Concierto
for guitar & chamber ensemble (1998) - 10'
guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello
Poema y Danza
(2001) - 11'
two oboes, strings
Rapsodia
for solo trumpet & wind ensemble (1996) - 11'
trumpet; picc, fl, al fl, ob, eh, 3 cl, bs cl, 2 bn, 2 al sx, ten sax, bari sax, 4 tpt, 4 hn, 4 tbn, 2 euph, 2 tuba, pno, timp, 3 perc
Variations on a Souvenir
concerto for piano & orchestra (2007) - 27'
solo piano; picc,22,eh,22; 4331; timp; 3 perc; stgs
Instrumental Music
Bongo-0 (Bongo-Zero)
(1982; rev, 2003) - 4'
tuned bongos
Changos
(1989) - 5'
flute, harpsichord
Cinco Bocetos
(1984) - 9'
clarinet
Concerto for Saxophones & Orchestra
(piano reduction) (2000) - 22'
soprano & tenor saxophones, piano
Concerto for Viola
(piano reduction) (2006) - 22'
viola, piano
Concierto Barroco
guitar concerto (piano reduction) (1998) - 10'
guitar, piano
Concierto Caribe
flute concerto (piano reduction) (1993) - 20'
flute, piano
Eros
(1996) - 3'
flute, piano
Fanfarria, Aria y Movimiento Perpetuo
(2000) - 7'
violin, piano
Flower Pieces
(1994) - 17'
flute, harp (or piano)
Folias
guitar concerto (piano reduction) (2002) - 12'
guitar, piano
Los Destellos de la Resonancia
(2000) - 5'
cymbals, piano
Mano a Mano
(1987) - 6'
two Percussionists: bongo, conga
Mariposas
(2007) - 4'
flute
Piezas Breves
(1997) - 15'
guitar
Piezas Fáciles Para Dos Violines
(1982, 1994) - 8'
two violins
Prelude, Habanera and Perpetual Motion
(2006) - 8'
flute (or recorder), guitar
Renadío
(1994) - 6'
flute, guitar
Ritmorroto
(1995) - 6'
solo clarinet
Salsa on the C String
(1981) - 2'
cello, piano
Sonata
(2003) - 12'
flute, piano
Sonata
(2005-06) - 13'
clarinet, piano
Sonata No. 1
(2001) - 9'
cello, piano
Sonata No. 2 (Elegiaca)
(2007) - 12'
cello, piano
Suite de Conciones y Danzas
(2008) - 12'
cello, piano
Tema y Variaciones
(2000) - 7'
clarinet, piano
Tre Miniaturas (1982) - 3'
hpschd
Tres Homenajes Húngaros
(Three Hungarian Tributes) (1995) - 12'
two guitars
2. a Liszt
3. a Ligeti
Tres Pensamentos
(2000) - 8'
bass clarinet, percussion
Opera
El Mensajero de Plata (The Silver Messenger)
chamber opera in two acts (1984) - 70'
soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass; chamber ensemble
Orchestral Music
Alegría
(1996) - 6'
2,1 222; 4331; timp, 3-4 perc; str
Bacchae, The
(2006) - 15'
2,1 2,1 2 (eb), bcl, 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, pno, hp; str
Bayoán
for solosts, SATB chorus & orchestra (1991, rev. 1993) - 45'
soprano & baritone soloists, SATB chorus, 2,1 2 2,1 2; 2220; 3perc, hp, pno/cel; stgs
2. Descarga
3. Bayoán
4. Intermezzo
5. Marién
6. Elegía
Beyond the Silence of Sorrow
for soprano & orchestra (2002) - 20'
soprano; 2,1 2,1 2,1 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, cel, hp; str; also for soprano and piano
2. About Me Like a Robe
3. To Tell You of My Love
4. A Cradle for This Child
5. Little Newborn, Sleep
6. The Woman Who Walked Here
Borikén
(2005) - 12'
2,1 2,1 2,1 2,1; 4331; timp 3 perc, hp, pno; stgs
Carnaval
(2007) - 18'
2,1 2,1 2,1 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, hp, pno/cel; stgs
2. Sphynxes
3. Unicorns
4. Dragons
5. The Phoenix
Con Madera, Metal y Cuero
concerto for percussion & orchestra (1998) - 28'
solo percussion; 2,1 2,1 2(eb),1 2,1; 4331; timp, 3perc, pno/cel; str
Concerto for Saxophones & Orchestra
(2000) - 22'
soprano & tenor saxophones; 2,1 2 2,1 2; 4330; timp, 3perc, drum set, hp, pno; str
Concierto Barroco
(1996) - 10'
guitar; 2222; 2200; 1perc; stgs
Concierto Caribe
(1993) - 20'
flute; 1111; 2100; 2perc, pno, cel; str
Concierto para Orquesta
(2000) - 18'
2,1 2,1 2,1 2,1; 4331, 4 perc, pno, hp; stgs
Cuatro Versos
cello concerto (1999) - 20'
cello; 2222; 2110; 2 perc, piano; strings
Doble Concierto para Violin y Viola
(2003) - 25'
violin, viola; 2222; 4331; timp, perc, harp, pno; stgs
El Jardín de las Delicias
(1997) - 10'
2,1 2,1 2,1 ,2,1; 4331; timp, 3perc, pno/cel, hp; stgs
Evocaciones
violin concerto (1994) - 22'
violin; 2222; 4331; timp, 3perc, pno; stgs
Folias
concerto for guitar & orchestra (2002) - 12'
guitar; 2222; 2200; perc; stgs
Glosas
for piano & orchestra (1987) - 15'
piano; 2,pic 2 2 2,cbn; 4221; 3 perc, hp; stgs
Imagenes (Double Concerto)
for violin, guitar & orchestra (1993) - 23'
violin; guitar; 2 1,eh 1,bcl 2; 2100; 2perc; stgs
2. Juegos
3. Bailes
Imaginary Creatures (from Let's Make A Symphony)
(1995) - 3'
audience humming; 2222; 4221; timp, 2 perc; stgs
Jubilo
(1985) - 8'
2 2 2,1 2,1; 4100; perc, hp; stgs
La Lira (Juan Morel Campos)
orchestrated by Sierra (1999) - 11'
1,1 222; 4221; timp, 3 perc; stgs
Let's Make a Symphony
(1995) - 10'
2222; 4221; 3 perc, hp; stgs
2. Imaginary Creatures
3. We've Got Rhythm
Of Discoveries
concerto for two guitars & orchestra (1992) - 22'
2 guitars; 2222; 2200; 2 perc; stgs
Ritmo
(1995) - 6'
2,1 3 2,eb 3; 4331; timp, 4 perc, pno; stgs
Saludo
(1995) - 4'
2,1 2,1 2,bs 2,1; 4331; timp, 4 perc; stgs
Siete Inventos (1987) - 7'
harpsichord
Sinfonía No. 1
(2004) - 17'
2222; 22; timp, perc, pno; stg
Sinfonía No. 2
(2005) - 15'
2,1 2,1 2,1 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, hp, pno/cel; stgs
Sinfonía No. 3 (La Salsa)
(2005) - 23'
2,1 2,1 2,1 2; 4330; timp, perc, pno; stgs
Sinfonía No. 4
(2009) - 20'
2,1 2,1 2(eb cl),1 2,1; 4331; timp, perc, hp, pno/cel; stgs
Sonatina (from Let's Make a Symphony)
(1997) - 3'
2222; 4221; timp, 2 perc; perc; stgs
Tu Y Yo (2001) - 4'
orch
Un Recuerdo
(2001) - 2'
2222; 4230; timp; stgs
Variations on a Souvenir
concerto for piano & orchestra (2007) - 27'
solo piano; picc,22,eh,22; 4331; timp; 3 perc; stgs
We've Got Rhythm (from Let's Make a Symphony)
(1993) - 3'
audience clapping; 2222; 4221; timp, 3 perc; stgs
Organ Music
Fantasia Cromática (2000) - 3'
organ
Piano Music
2 x 3
(1993) - 12'
two pianos
2. Armonías de Melodía (Midday Harmonies)
3. Martillo (Hammer)
Con Salsa
(1986) - 4'
harpsichord (or piano)
Descarga en Sol
(1981) - 4'
piano
Piezas Imaginariás
(1997) - 18'
piano
Polivals
(1989) - 3'
piano
Reflections on a Souvenir
(2007) - 9'
piano
Suite
(1983) - 7'
harpsichord
Toccata
(2008) - 6'
piano
Treinta y tres formas de mirar un mismo objeto
(Thirty-three ways to look at the same object) (2008) - 25'
piano, four hands
Tres Inventos
(1987) - 5'
piano
Tres Miniaturas
(1982) - 3'
harpsichord
Vestigios Rituales
(2006) - 8'
two pianos
String Orchestra
Concerto for Viola
(2006) - 16'
solo viola, percussion, strings
Doce Bagatelas (Twelve Bagatelles)
(1996) - 20'
string orchestra
Fantasia Corelliana
(1999) - 11'
2 guitars; strings
Poema y Danza
(2001) - 11'
two oboes, strings
Vocal Music
Beyond the Silence of Sorrow
(2002) - 25'
soprano, piano
2. About Me Like a Robe
3. To Tell You of My Love
4. A Cradle for This Child
5. Little Newborn, Sleep
6. The Woman Who Walked Here
Cancionero Sefardi (Sephardic Songs)
(1999) - 16'
voice, flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello
2. El mi querido bevió vino (My lover drank wine);
3. Al kenar de la nixava (Around the corner)
4. Pregoneros van y vienen (Town criers come and go)
5. Una matica de ruda (A little plant of rue)
6. Dolores tiene la reina (The queen has pains)
7. Avridme galanica (Open up for me, beautiful girl)
Cinco Poemas Aztecas (Five Aztec Songs)
(1995) - 12'
high voice, piano
2. La vida... (Life goes on...)
3. Poema de la conquista (Poem of the conquest)
4. La amistad (Friendship)
5. Gozo efímero (Ephemeral Joy)
Conjuros
(1982) - 12'
high voice, piano
Doña Rosita
(1985) - 6'
mezzo-soprano, woodwind quintet
El Extasis de Santa Teresa
(1997) - 15'
soprano; flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion, harp, string quintet
2. Oración
3. Visión
4. Éxtasis
5. Aleluya
Glosa a la Sombra
(1987) - 10'
mezzo-soprano, clarinet, viola, piano
Invocaciones
(1986) - 14'
high voice, percussion
Rimas
(1999) - 9'
soprano or tenor, piano
Songs from the Diaspora
(2007) - 20'
soprano, piano, string quartet [2 violins, viola, cello]
Sueño de amor
(2003) - 3'
soprano, flute, violin, harp
Discography
Coming soon...