Solo with Piano

for Benjamin Whitby

Premiered on April 26, 2022 in Walter Hall, Toronto by Benjamin Whitby and Cecilia Lee

15 minutes

Movements

Movement 1: Overture

Movement 2: Infernal Circus

Movement 3: Epilogue

Instrumentation

Tuba, Piano

Program Notes

“Sonata for Tuba and Piano was written for Benjamin Whitby’s graduating recital in the Spring of 2022. I was fortunate to spend several years of my undergraduate degree playing alongside him in orchestras, wind ensembles, and brass choirs, and I wanted to write a piece that displayed his technical proficiency on the instrument as well as his intuitive musicality.

The piece opens with a movement in traditional sonata form—laying a tumultuous thematic groundwork for the rest of the piece. The second movement is both erratic and sadistically joyful. In the final movement, thematic material from the opening movement is reintroduced in new contexts before a peaceful conclusion.”

-Michael Nunes

for Ilinca Stafie

Premiered on October 29th, 2019 in Walter Hall, Toronto by Ilinca Stafie and Michael Nunes

4 minutes

Instrumentation

Horn, Piano

Program Notes

“Written for my colleague and friend, Ilinca Stafie, Calling Twilight is a romantic duet for horn and piano. Although lyrical and rubato on the surface, the piece is rhythmically active for both performers, and features melodic material reminiscent of horn calls. When writing this piece, I imagined a horn player standing alone in a forest, playing towards the sky as night slowly sets in. As the last rays of sunlight disappear, the music calms down, and the horn player performs two final calls before retiring into the night.”

-Michael Nunes

For Ben Storm

Premiered on April 12th, 2019 in the Edward Johnson Building, Toronto by Ben Storm and Maria Fedyushina as part of the XXII Collective’s “Eine Kleine Ernstmusik.”

4 minutes

Instrumentation

Trombone, Piano

Program Notes

“A Stormy Waltz is a short and fiery duet for trombone and piano. Named after Ben Storm—the work’s dedicatee—A Stormy Waltz is especially effective as a concert opener, and showcases a high degree of technical proficiency. Starting with a bang, and gradually building back the initial intensity, the piece culminates in a contrapuntal treatment of the main theme. Although the piece may end quietly, it remains as energetic as ever.”

-Michael Nunes

For Hannah Corbett

Premiered on March 19th, 2019 in Walter Hall, Toronto by Hannah Corbett and Matthew Chan

5 minutes

Instrumentation

Violin, Piano

Program Notes

“Moonlit Clouds is written for my friend, Hannah Corbett. Though not containing an explicit narrative, the piece reflects my interpretation of watching moonlight shine against the night sky—sometimes fading behind dense clouds, but always reappearing eventually. It is a short, peaceful, and melodic piece, based on a single theme. Starting with violin harmonics and broken chords, the piece builds intensity in the development, briefly reaching a minor tonality before fading off into glassy octaves in both instruments. The piano returns to its opening chordal patterns, as the piece gently ends the same way that it began.”

-Michael Nunes

For Luca Ortolani

Premiered on November 20th, 2018 in Walter Hall, Toronto by Luca Ortolani and Matthew Chan

20 minutes

Movement I - Fantasy

Movement II - Dance

Movement III - Song

Movement IV - Rondo

Instrumentation

Oboe, Piano

Program Notes

“The Sonata for Oboe and Piano is written for my friend, Luca Ortolani. It is in four movements: Fantasy, Dance, Song, and Rondo. Thematic ideas introduced in earlier movements appear frequently throughout the rest of the composition, serving as unifying elements across the score. “Fantasy” is a concert-opener movement based on two motifs, with a combination of intense and melodic sections. It includes an oboe cadenza, before a subdued ending. “Dance” combines a rhythmic modal concert dance with a tango, briefly returning to the opening theme during the middle of the movement. “Song” opens with a piano cadenza, followed by a vocal-esque movement with a lyrical quality. “Rondo” is—by request—a competition piece. It brings back several melodic ideas in new variations to form a rondo allegro that is challenging for both performers, while serving to reiterate each movement’s main ideas briefly.”

-Michael Nunes

Note: Perusal score is an outdated version of the piece

Written for Contemporary Showcase Edmonton’s Young Composers Program under the supervision of Dr. Allan Gilliland

Premiered in November, 2015 in Muttart Hall, Edmonton by Michael Nunes and Jan Janovsky

Winner of the 2016 Alberta Provincial Music Festival 16 and Under Composition Class

4 minutes

Instrumentation

Horn, Piano

Program Notes

“Although one of my first publicly performed pieces, Fantasy in C remains a personal favourite of mine for its unapologetic style and rhythmic insistence—traits which I always admire in other composers. Starting with abrasive tritones, a bright and harsh theme soon emerges. The piece slowly builds over a mixed-meter ostinato before returning to an altered version of the initial thematic material, and ending with a bang.”

-Michael Nunes