 An anthology of new works for solo guitar by Apostolos Paraskevas, Vuk Kulenovic, Gregory Fritze, Marti Epstein, Derek Hurst, James Russell Smith, Scott Fessler, Ivana Lisak, Francine Trester, Armand Qualliotine, Clyde Witmyer, Harry Chalmiers, and Beth Denisch.
During the fall of 2003, guitarist/composer Apostolos Paraskevas began work on the compilation of 13 new works for solo guitar. These are concert works, written by 13 different composers.
The collection received its premier performance on March 10, 2004 at the David Friends recital Hall of Berklee College of Music with Apostolos Paraskevas performing, and with all the other contributing composers in the audience. Since their premier these pieces have been performed in the U. S., Russia, the Ukraine, Greece, Thailand and Brazil and were released on compact disc during the winter of 2006.
 tell my wife I love her... by Apostolos Paraskevas
PREVIEW
The last words of a dying soldier, his last 5 minutes. A lament full of love, of beautiful memories and the eminent shadow of Death. His simple melody unfolds through variations of agony and ecstasy. The end comes closer and closer as his heart beat ascends and descends until with its last beat says ...I love you...
Lamentations are a eulogy to love not to death and we lament because we love life. Death needs life to exist but not vice versa.
Lamento di L'Orfeo Mechanico by Vuk Kulenovic
PREVIEW
In one of Rilke's poems, Hermes, "the god of far off places", says to Orpheus: "Don't look back!" While escorting Euridice, petrified, Hermes tells her: "He turned around!" Absent-mindedly, Euridice asks: "Who?" Ever since, mechanically and endlessly, turns his head to look around.
Lament for Those Departed Too Soon by Gregory Fritze
PREVIEW
This piece is based on a twelve-tone row and also on the melody of the English hymn "Amazing Grace". The hymn melody is altered chromatically to fit into the modern harmonic language and also to give a deeper more expressive feeling to the lament.
Doloroso by Marti Epstein
PREVIEW
Doloroso was written for guitarist Apostolos Paraskevas in memory of John Daverio, who was my friend, teacher, mentor, and chamber music partner. It is a recasting of a solo violin piece I wrote for John called Endgame.
Shipless Sea by Derek Hurst
Shipless Sea for solo guitar, was originally written for composer/guitarist Apostolos Paraskevas. The composition is dedicated to Nancy Redgate, who passed away in the spring of 2005.
Delta Lament by James Russell Smith
Delta Lament for Solo Guitar utilizes the time honored tradition of passacaglia as a framework for this musical lamentation. This passacaglia is a stepwise, ground bass-line that creates a rising-falling arch across two phrases. Above this is set a very simple, curiously circular melody that, although independent, is inextricably bound to this sigh-like contour. During the last 3 bars of the longer and irregular second phase the passacaglia bass becomes entirely chromatic: a conscious homage to the descending, chromatic laments of Purcell and Bach. Six variations follow: some with increasing, poignant intensity while others almost float in wistful remembrance. These contrasts that lie not only between the variations but also within the melody and passacaglia itself are intended to embody the less histrionic expressions of lamentation that occur through the distance of reflection.
In Memory by Scott Fessler
In Memory, a lament for guitar, was originally written as a piece for solo double bass at the request of Edwin Barker, principal bassist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. From the outset, without specific intention, the piece had a very elegaic, mournful quality. Simply titled ‘Song’, it became the first of four pieces collectively named ‘Four Soliloquies for Double Bass’. As 'Song', it was premiered by Edwin Barker in June, 2005, in Boston.
When fellow Berklee faculty member Apostolos Paraskevas asked his colleagues for pieces for his solo guitar “Lament Project”, I immediately thought of this work for double bass and began the process of adapting it for guitar. While this process did suggest and require a small amount of recomposing, the essence of ‘Song’ remains unchanged, although given fresh expression ‘In Memory’.
Lament for the Lost Moment by Ivana Lisak
PREVIEW
This piece was written for an excellent guitarist and a friend, Apostolos Paraskevas, and it is dedicated to the rain in New Hampshire.
Lament by Francine Trester
This compossition is an alternation of two distinct elements, the lyrical and the macabre. It opens with a melody that is essentially in e minor. This is followed by another lyrical passage that is a bit brighter and more hopeful.This lyricism is then interrupted by a brief sequence of aggressive chords. These chords herald the introduction of the more macabre, scherazando secton of the work. In this section, elements of the previous lyricism can still be heard, but the opening melody doesn't truly reestablish itself until after the scherzando section has reached its frenzied climax. When it does return, it's initially in "the wrong key" of the subdominant, a minor. The opening key is never fully restored. Adding to the feeling of unrest, the macabre quietly enters once more and is intertwined with the composition's closing gesture.
Barcarola Funebre by Armand Qualliotine
PREVIEW
The day after the spring semester ended a few years ago, I was on a plane to Europe. While spending a few days and sleepless nights in Venice, that surreal island in the Adriatic Sea inspired me to sketch several passage of amorphous music. Seeing a funeral procession on the Grand Canal early one morning, with the black draped gondole, and a Phrygian plainsong performed on a solo trumpet, my inchoate music took form years later as the Barcarola Funebre for guitar written for my colleague Apostolos Paraskevas.
Southern Lament by Beth Denisch
The work employs melodic and harmonic elements from the gospel and blues traditions to express nostalgia and reminiscence for what is lost. Its texture adapts the Spanish classical tremolo technique as found in Tárrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra.
Variations on a Lament by Clyde Witmyer
PREVIEW
This piece represents a departure from my usual compositional style best described as an outgrowth of the “Second Viennese School.” On the contrary, these variations blend aspects of traditional melody, harmony, rhythm, and form with elements of modernity.
Composed in January 2003, the theme was inspired by the famous work for the guitar, Romanza (Anonymous, 19th Century) and its hauntingly, doleful minor key sentimentality. Employing the same key (E minor) and texture as the Romanza, I constructed a simple theme emphasizing the neighbor relationship between Le and Sol. In a sense, the theme is a vehicle for this half step relationship, which subsequently, generates much of the content expressed throughout the variations.
The Sad Little Child - Distant Cries - I Will Never Forget by Harry Chalmiers
PREVIEW
These works express a sense of loss and longing experienced by being distant from loved ones. The distance can be in miles, in detachment, in death, or in other ways that cause lamentation. The experience of the lament itself can sometimes bring a measure of solace, which is why these were created.
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