Émilie Fend and Andreas Hermanski Play Duo-Sonata by Sierra

Émilie Fend (guitar) and Andreas Hermanski (clarinet) perform Duo-Sonata (2021) by Roberto Sierra (b.1953). This comes via Fend’s YouTube channel. Émilie Fend, one of my favourite new guitarists to listen to, performs this very challenging work with an amazing mix of extroverted virtuosity and beautifully phrased spacious moments. The playing and ensemble work here is intricate but blends so well. This work is on thier Naxos album titled, 21st Century Clarinet and Guitar Works. Here’s an exceprt of the programme notes from the album that they posted in their YouTube description:

The final contribution to the album is given by Roberto Sierra (1953). The Puerto Rican composer has written a large number of works for the most diverse array of instruments, ranging from solo pieces to large orchestral projects. His output is nowadays received internationally with great enthusiasm and has been recognised by prestigious awards. Duo-Sonata, like many other items of this album, was commissioned by Émilie Fend and Andreas Hermanski. In the words of the composer, the piece “conforms to the classical form concept. Not only does the first movement conform with the allegro-sonata scheme, but it also keeps the four movements of many works from the early nineteenth century.” If the listeners can easily recognise such formal plan, they might also experience a sense of slight contrast with the qualities of Sierra’s musical language. This is, as a matter of fact, quite modernist, yet expressive, all managed within a very balanced and thought-out approach to writing. His use of symmetric scales makes the style of this work structural, plastic and compact: it gives a noble, almost austere identity to this Sonata, which presents itself as a serious and mature work. Sudden outbursts of dynamics and gestures keep the narration alive and the four movements highly contrasting in character. On the other hand, the various episodes of the music always maintain a strong identity which remains recognisable throughout the whole gestation of the piece. This album not only displays the diverse landscape of the world of creativity in music today, by fostering the work of present day composers, but it also successfully promotes the guitar and clarinet ensemble, which, thanks to Émilie and Andreas, emerges as a beautiful and exciting duo, which hopefully will continue generating new repertoire in the future. – Giacomo Susani, Milan, June 2024

Bradford Werner
Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 97,000 subscribers and 14 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.

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