Nigel Simeone of International Piano magazine has praised Arlene Sierra's "fascinating" new disc of piano music, Birds and Insects. He writes,
The piano series Birds and Insects was composed between 2007 and 2023 by Arlene Sierra (b1970), and is played by Steven Beck (Books 1‑2) and Sarah Cahill (Book 3). With pieces inspired by birds such as the Bobolink (used in Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques), searching for a parallel with Messiaen is inevitable, but as the helpful booklet note points out, Sierra’s approach is different. While Messiaen was inclined to use long stretches of (suitably modified) transcription of birdsong in his pieces, Sierra takes shorter fragments and uses these to develop the motivic substance of her musical structures. The results are fascinating, sometimes strange and often striking. In ‘Hermit Thrush’ there are additional electronics that cleverly interact with the pianist, and in the next piece, ‘Thermometer Cricket’, the piano is prepared, with alluring results. This is never ‘easy’ music, but it’s not meant to be, and I found myself drawn into Sierra’s world and listening with intense concentration as a result. The range of colour and sonority she finds in ‘Canyon Wren’ in Book 3 is bewitching. Sierra is fortunate to have two such fine pianists as her advocates on this release.
More about Birds and Insects, Arlene Sierra Vol. 4 and further reviews at the dedicated page on this site
