Brandon Nelson

IMAGO DEI

Category: Compositions

  • Chamber Works for Percussion

    Dhammapada (solo prepared vibraphone) What Universe Lies Within (percussion duo)

  • Chamber Works for Brass

    Fire, Flux, CHANGE! (unaccompanied tuba) In Light and In Shadow (trumpet and piano) Cardiac Rhythms (low brass trio – horn, trombone, tuba) Diptych (brass quintet) Dreamland (unaccompanied horn) Dusk Refrains Over Quincy Mine (solo trumpet with mixed sextet) Heroes of Snow and Ice (brass and percussion ensemble) The Emotional Lives of Colors (solo trumpet with…

  • Jogo de Cartes (tenor sax and piano)

    Commissioned by Philippe Trovão (Lisbon, Portugal)  about the piece Jogo de Cartas is Portuguese for “card game.” I opted for the Portuguese to honor my patron for this piece, tenor saxophonist Philippe Trovão of Lisbon. In this work, I celebrate four favorite card games. War is a relatively simple game in which each player is…

  • des études dans le vin (contralto flute)

    commissioned by Marion Garver (San Diego, CA) In celebration of what are perhaps among the greatest gifts to the human palate, I composed this set of characteristic etudes based on several distinguished wines of France. Wine is beyond simply a beverage—it is a form of art in itself, elevated by centuries of refinement, and those…

  • An Harmonic Disquisition Upon Various Types of Cheese (Piccolo Quartet)

    Through characteristic miniatures, this piece is an aural sampler of some of the world’s most interesting cheeses (and the folk music of the people who produce them). Though my passion for cheese is well in evidence, I like to point out that my love for the piccolo runs just as strong, and I have sought…

  • Treasurescapes (sax quartet)

    Inspired by the incredible beauty and majesty of America’s national parks, this suite captures the essence of four of these treasures, which belong to us all. Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier Bay, and Acadia are all featured in this piece, scored for soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, and baritone sax. All players have engaging parts…

  • Pharmacopoeia: One (solo bassoon with bassoon quartet)

    Commissioned by Jolene Masone (for solo bassoon with bassoon quartet) About This Piece In this piece (the first of an open-ended series of pieces), I explore four pharmaceutical agents, imagining how their effects on one’s body might be translated into sounds. The work opens with a prelude, which exhibits the primary melodic materials the rest…

  • The Emotional Lives Of Colors (trumpet, piano, percussion)

    Commissioned by Lexie Signor (for trumpet, piano, and percussion) About This Piece Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his theory on how colors impacted mental states was the inspiration for this piece. He was far more gifted with prose than I, so I’ll him explain further: We shall not be surprised to find that [colours’] effects…

  • Irrational Transcendence (sax quartet)

    Scored for sax quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone). Appropriate to any concert or recital setting. In mathematics, there exists a unique set of figures known as “transcendental numbers.” A transcendental number is a real or complex number that is not algebraic-that is, it is not a root of a non-zero polynomial equation with rational coefficients.…

  • Four Episodes (unaccompanied viola)

    A set of intriguing, contrasting miniatures for unaccompanied viola. Aimed at higher level players, this piece is ideal for any concert or recital setting. The first in this set, “from darkness, rising,” is a lyric caprice which gradually moves from “darker” modes to “brighter” modes (locrian to lydian). The next selection, “Eidólons”, has a veiled,…