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Radiant Shadows

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Julie Giroux

Julie Giroux


Subtitle: From Heartland Portraits


General Info

Year: 2015
Duration: c. 8:00
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Musica Propria
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $120.00   |   Score Only (print) - $18.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
E-flat Contra-Alto Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Chimes
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Orchestra Bells
  • Vibraphone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Julie Giroux shares the following about Radiant Shadows (2016):

Radiant Shadows was composed during a seventy-three day journey, including a daily bucket list; the last seventy-three days I had with Sadie, who died of bone cancer. Sadie was my Great Dane, my companion and my loving innocent baby. She was only five years old. This is my Adagio for Strings. Sounds nothing like it of course, but the emotional journey is the same. Those are not my words; those are the words of people who heard its premiere. I can hardly listen to it and I don’t think I am capable of holding it together while conducting it so that may never happen either. Hearing it was the longest eight minutes of my life.

We are all guided by the voices and spirits of those we have loved and lost, all of them. They may be gone but their impact on us still shows us the way both morally and spiritually. The ache of loss, being emotionally severed from ones you love, is truly inexpressible in words. Music can do it, but the cost to your emotional well-being during the act of composing such music is great. To exist in that pit, that black hole for weeks trying to put what you are feeling on the page, touching, embracing and living inside sorrow is so difficult, so soul taxing. I don’t know that I will ever do it again, but I do know this one time it was worth it. There is great beauty in loss.

Music is transcending and miraculous. You don’t accidentally compose music of this nature, you have to live it. When you perform it, you live it too only it is your pain, your healing. The saving grace is emerging from a hellacious journey and being greeted with the comforting hugs from friends and family. The hurting never stops, but healing also never stops. It is in healing when audience members hug you, still crying after listening to it and saying “Thank you! Your music was so sad but it had so much love and hope too!” That comment pretty much sums up life don’t you think? Sad to think it took me eight minutes of music to try and say the same thing!

- Program Note from University of North Texas Symphonic Band concert program, 7 February 2017


Media

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State Ratings

  • Texas: IV. Complete


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Ouachita Baptist University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Craig V. Hamilton, conductor) - 6 March 2023
  • Texas Tech University (Lubbock) Concert Band (Joel Pagan, conductor) - 17 February 2022
  • University of Texas at El Paso Wind Symphony (Bradley Genervo, conductor) - 15 February 2018 (2018 TMEA Conference, San Antonio)
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Symphonic Band (Dennis W. Fisher, conductor) – 7 February 2017


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources

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