Video Release: World Premiere of Sonata-Fantasia No. 2 for Cello and Piano, “Abraham”

A video of the world premiere of Sonata-Fantasia No. 2, “Abraham,” for cello and piano has been released on composer Baruch Berliner’s YouTube channel. The premiere took place on February 7, 2026, at the Orchesterzentrum NRW in Dortmund, where Berliner’s work was performed by Grammy-nominated cellist Dmitry Yablonsky and pianist Laia Martin.

The sonata-fantasia draws on motifs from the oratorio Abraham, itself inspired by the Old Testament story of its namesake—the forefather of the Jewish people (Israel), the eldest of the Israelite patriarchs, and the founder of monotheism.

The work consists of four movements:

Part I – The Father (Terah)
Part II – Go Forth (…unto the land that I will show you)
Part III – Abraham (Father of Many Nations)
Part IV – The Blessing and Covenant

Dmitry Yablonsky—a Russian-American conductor and cellist and Merited Artist of Azerbaijan—has a Grammy nomination for “Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra).” As a cellist, he has released numerous recordings, including a double album with David Popper’s Higher School of Cello Playing, cello concertos by Aram Khachaturian and Nino Rota, and sonatas by Dmitri Shostakovich and Mieczysław Weinberg. In his capacity as a conductor, Mr. Yablonsky has performed with such ensembles as the Belgian National Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. He has recorded over 70 CDs.

Dr. Martin is a pianist, Professor of Music History at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, and Professor of Research Techniques at the Escuela de Música de Alto Rendimiento de Valencia. She collaborates with the research group “Texting Scarlatti: Composition, Reception, Performance,” led by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and teaches piano at the Issi Fabra Music School in Puigcerdà and at the Conservatori de Música dels Pirineus. Dr. Martin is a director of the music festival in Puigcerdà. In 2022, she launched the project Vespres Musicals de Santa Cecília de Bolvir. Since 2019, she has also served as director of the Pyrenees Conference on Artistic Research in Music.

Producer & General Manager – Nachum Slutzker