PUMA
wind quintet (2015)
“As always, Cueto’s music gives the listener a Peruvian taste full of personality in its beautiful melodic lines, interesting harmonies and strong rhythm which will leave no one indifferent. It’s both a delight to listen to and a joy to perform. I highly recommend this piece for any ambitious wind quintet”
Performed by Confluentes Ensemble. Recorded by Jannis Lehnert, with support from
the RSH Düsseldorf and the HfMT Köln - Standort Aachen.
Details
Duration: 8 minutes
Premiere:
January 27th, 2015
Quintett Pasù
HfMT Cologne (Germany)
Confluentes Ensemble performing PUMA in Koblenz, Germany
About the work
The puma is one of the largest and strongest felines native to the Americas. It was a powerful symbol and the object of deep veneration for several ancient civilizations of South America, among them the Moche and the Inca. In fact, Inca admiration for the feline was so profound that their capital city, Cusco, was built in the shape of a puma, with the Saksaywaman citadel at its head, the Koricancha temple at its genitals, and a street named Pumakurku ("puma spine") along its back.
It´s quite possible to imagine why this animal deserved such extraordinary reverence. It possesses a beautiful build and great strength; its amazing speed and precision of movement make it a flawless hunter. It is also a solitary animal, which is interesting from an emotional and/or literary perspective, and makes it all the more enigmatic as a character.
I found this combination of qualities - great strength, stunning skill and a predilection for solitude - quite intriguing. Guided by these aspects, and inspired by Moche and Inca depictions of the animal, I started to explore the ritual figure of the puma through music. This work was the result.
Acerca de la obra
El puma es uno de los felinos más grandes y fuertes de América. Fue un poderoso símbolo y objeto de gran veneración para diversas civilizaciones antiguas de Sudamérica, entre ellas los Moche y los Incas. La admiración inca por el felino fue tal que su ciudad capital, el Cusco, fue construida en forma de puma, con la ciudadela de Saksaywaman a la cabeza, el templo de Koricancha en los genitales, y una calle llamada Pumakurku ("columna de puma") a lo largo de la espalda.
No es difícil imaginar por qué este animal era digno de tanta devoción para los antiguos sudamericanos. Posee una constitución formidable y una gran fuerza; su gran velocidad y precisión lo convierten en cazador impecable. Es además un animal solitario, lo cual es interesante desde un punto de vista emocional, y lo convierte en un personaje todavía más enigmático.
Esta combinación de cualidades - gran fuerza, impecable destreza, y vocación por la soledad - me resultó intrigante. Guiado por estos aspectos, y estimulado por representaciones pictóricas moches e incas, comencé a explorar la figura ritual del puma a través de la música. El resultado es esta composición.
Other recordings
September 22, 2024: Performance by NU Quintet at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City.
April 11th 2021: Performance in “lockdown” style, led by Peruvian oboist Diego Espinoza as part of his Doctor of Music degree at Arizona State University.