PRISMA
flute solo (2011)
“Prisma truly unlocks the imagination and transports you to the vast Andean landscape of Peru. Daniel Cueto cleverly melds rich Peruvian melodic and rhythmic elements with a contemporary flair, creating a personal style that is both pleasing and accessible to the listener and performer. As always, Cueto writes masterfully for the flute and his music continues to be exciting, fun, and rewarding to play.”
Perusal score
Details
Dedicated to: Carlos Cueto Fernandini
Duration: 7 minutes
Premiere:
August 9, 2011
Performed by the composer
Teatro Británico in Lima, Peru
About “Prisma”
“Prisma” is strongly influenced by Andean popular music. It is based on pentatonic scales, and includes a lively middle section in the rhythm of a huayno – one of the oldest and most popular musical genres in the Americas.
The work is dedicated to my grandfather, Carlos Cueto Fernandini. The middle section begins with a brief quotation of the “Mambo de Machahuay”, one of his favorite Andean popular tunes.
Prisma is the Spanish word for prism, a device which can be used to disperse white light into the colors of the rainbow.
“Prisma” is the clear light of a flute unfolding into a flourish of Andean color.
Acerca de “Prisma”
”Prisma” lleva fuerte influencia de la música popular andina. Está basada en escalas pentatónicas, e incluye una animada sección central a ritmo de huayno – uno de los géneros musicales más antiguos y difundidos de América.
La obra está dedicada a mi abuelo Carlos Cueto Fernandini. La sección central empieza citando brevemente al “Mambo de Machahuay”,
una de sus canciones favoritas de la música andina.
El prisma es un instrumento óptico capaz de desdoblar la luz blanca en los colores del arco iris.
“Prisma” es la luz blanca de una flauta que se desdobla en colores andinos.
Other Recordings of PRISMA
Recording of premiere in 2011 (performed by the composer)
Performed by Elaine Martir, doctoral flute student at the University of Oregon
Extras
Article about PRISMA in “The Babel Flute”
In March 2023, I was invited to write an article about the composition process behind “Prisma” for the international flute magazine “The Babel Flute”. The article is written in Spanish, but can be instantly translated into any language by selecting the desired one in the top left dropdown on the article site.
Read the article HERE.