Movement for 5 brass for two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba incorporates in its title the names of the five movements of the work, a form of wordplay that deliberately creates confusion. The first movement, Move, is very energetic and rhythmic, and is highly virtuosic in conception. Chordal passages are alternated with fugal elements. This continuous flow of energy is abruptly interrupted both stylistically and dynamically with a blanket of sound in the piano. After this interlude, the movement ends as it began, with a constant, rhythmic pulse. In the second movement, Moments, a lyrical melody is initiated by the horn and then taken over by the trumpet. A chordal accompaniment starts off by supporting this melody but subsequently transforms into percussive effects. This movement ends majestically in a forte with widely spaced chords. The third movement, somewhat confusingly entitled Fo(u)r, opens with an energetic and subtle alternation between high and low brass, out of which there flows a driving theme, first in the trumpet and then in the trombone. This theme is rhythmically accompanied by an ostinato bass. The second section of this movement consists of a falling and rising chordal progression, regularly alternated with a short lyrical tritone motive in the tuba. After several brilliant forte outbursts, the movement ends with the head motive. In the fourth movement, Five, a slow opening is followed by an unfolding ostinato accompaniment, above which an expansive melody develops in the first trumpet. This melody builds up into a fanfare motive which, once it has reached its climax, subsides back into a new lyrical phase in the first trumpet, accompanied homophonically. The fifth movement, Brass, opens with a heroic motive and then changes immediately to extremely fast and rhythmic passage work, striking for its energy and dynamism. This passage work is interrupted by glissandi effects in the trombone and the horn. Just before the end of this work, Nuyts creates a strong sense of contrast by suddenly integrating a soft passage that just as suddenly changes back to forte. The composer’s tonal language tends towards a expanding tonality; in this sense Nuyts takes his place among more traditional composers, while at the same time not categorically rejecting more modern tendencies and original invention.
