Compositions — eliboudreauxmusic

Beneath the Withered Tree,

for solo bassoon

Of all instruments in the orchestra, the bassoon, to me, feels most connected to the Earth. The timbres reflect a warm quality unique to the wooden reeds the performer uses. The instrument is one with nature, and this work is meant to evoke the connection between music and the natural world. The bassoonist is free to explore with rubato.

This work is dedicated to my dear friends, Leah Espinoza, M.M., and Natasha Pizzaro, D.M.A.

While experimenting with the recording Leah and I worked on, we added a rain backing track; the piece can be played in the original acoustic setting.

Nocturnal Flight,

for orchestra

Nocturnal Flight takes the orchestra on a journey through the dark night sky. Many elements throughout the work evoke the feeling of a bird taking flight in a storm, amid heavy rain and wind. There is also a mysterious quality to the piece, with dark harmonies and a sense of never knowing where the next turn will be. Nocturnal Flight explores many of the orchestra's contrasting timbres, which battle each other throughout the piece, from the dark fanfare motifs of the brass to soaring string passages. Through many turns, we eventually make it home, returning to land, as the strings conclude the work in a unifying yet dark crescendo to a powerful ending.

Purple Roses,

for solo viola

Purple Roses is a reverent work. A reflection of loss and grief. In memory of my grandmother's passing. Her favorite color was purple, and her favorite flower was the rose. This piece is about coping with what is gone and finding a new way forward when it seems too difficult to keep going.

recorded by Dr. Natalie Stepaniak