Frank: 5 Andean Improvisations

Description

Movements

1. Quena
2. Ritmo del altiplano
3. Pinkillo
4. Chuta
5. Sombras

Composer note

Five Andean Improvisations , for flute and piano, are musings inspired by highland Peruvian/Bolivian musical motifs. The first movement, Quena , is written as if for the traditional quena flute that bears a similarity to the Japanese shakuhachi. The second movement, Ritmos del altiplano , when the piano enters for the first time, uses a simple one-two rhythm in the piano part decorated by ornamentation and florid lines. This is followed by the third movement, Pinkillo , inspired by the light silvery small flute of the same name. Chuta follows, a bright rendition of one of the most recognized motifs of the Andes, the chuta motif with its proliferation of repeated notes. The finale, Sombras , is a short tone poem of the islands of Lake Titicaca, where the stars are so bright they cast eerie and brilliant shadows, even at night.

— Gabriela Lena Frank