Written for NOW Ensemble, Prism showcases quartal and quintal harmonies set in fighting cross-rhythms. Rising arpeggio-like figures capture the brilliance of the ensemble’s unique instrumentation. A slow unveiling of all twelve chromatic pitches utilizes this instrumentation for a dense harmonic saturation.

Each instrument projects a quartal/quintal harmony through their own rhythmic subdivision. Together, the ensemble forges a saturated texture both rhythmically and harmonically. The saturated ensemble texture I saw as akin to white light, and each individual instrument I saw akin to an individual light frequency.