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Composed: 1998
Composer: Phillip Houghton (b. 1954 , Australia)

A gentle and hypnotic tune by Phillip Houghton.

“ … the Kinkachoo , a mythical bird , once wounded in the Spirit-Realm , heals and flies into the world .“ [P. H.]

Composed: 1982
Composer: Carlo Domeniconi (b. 1947 , Italy)

The Anatolian Variations is one of Carlo Domeniconi’s most prominent works for solo guitar. Influenced from Turkish folk music and culture, these variations are derived from a folk song originating in Anatolia, the southern Asian area of Turkey that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

The work is based on the song "Uzun ince bir yoldayim" (I am traveling down a long narrow path) which Domeniconi learned from Asik Veysel, a popular blind Turkish folk singer.

In 7 movements, this charming and melodic piece develops through mostly conservative variations before the adventurous and modern Finale. Scale inflections, ornamentations and dance rhythms are introduced granting the variations a unique 'Eastern' character.

Composed: 1892
Composer: Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897 , Germany)
Arrangement by Stewart French (2006)

As part of the three Intermezzi Op. 117, Intermezzo I reveals Johannes Brahms tender and introspective writing. Originally written for piano in the summer of 1892, Brahms described these pieces as "lullabies to my sorrows" and were inspired by a Scottish poem from Herder's Volkslieder which bears the inscription:

Schlaf sanft mein Kind, schlaf sanft und Schön !
Mich dauert's sehr, dich weinen sehn.

Sleep softly my child, sleep softly and well !
It hurts my heart to see you weeping.

This wonderful arrangement by Stewart French brings this stunning piece to the guitar without compromising any of its musical.

Composer: Neil Gow (1727 – 1807 , Scotland)
Arrangement by David Russell.

A beautiful Scottish lament by Neil Gow written for his second wife, Margaret Urquhart. Story has it that deeply hurt by her death, Neil Gow stopped playing the fiddle for while. Convinced by friends to pick it up again, the lament was the first thing he played.

“ Niel Gow was born in 1727 in the town of Inver, 60 miles north of Edinburgh. He became one of the most important violinists and composers in Scotland. He and his son Nathaniel spread the strathspey style of violin playing throughout Scotland at a time when traditions were changing rapidly. The harp and bagpipe were being replaced by the popularity of the fiddle. This beautiful melody was written as a lament to Margaret Urquhart of Perth to whom he was happily married for thirty years. “ [from Celtic Music vol. 1 – D. Russell]

Composed: 1596
Composer: John Dowland (1562 – 1626 , England)
Transcribed from tablature by Karl Scheit

“the teares which Musicke weeps, neither are teares shed always in sorrow but sometime in joy and gladnesse” [J. D.]

Associated deeply with the concept of melancholy during the Elizabethan era, John Dowland’s music for solo lute has undergone a major revival and has become a significant source of repertoire for lutenists and guitar players.

Lachrimae Pavan was first written in 1596 for solo lute and became John Dowland’s signature song before it later offered the basis for two of Dowland’s most famous compositions, the song “Flow my tears” (1597) and the instrumental work “Lachrimae or Seaven Teares” written in 1604.

A slow pavan, featuring the falling tear motif of 4 descending notes, which was common in Elizabethan music to signify grief, Lachrimae Pavan demonstrates how Dowland’s use of counterpoint creates a dolorous and sorrowful texture.