Programme Note The Maiden's Lament, Op. 42 was commissioned by Lawrence Cherney through a grant from the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. Mr. Cherney requested a work based on Newfoundland folksongs. I decided to take the texts of five songs and reset them, using my own melodies. I was determined, however, to maintain the style of the folksong tradition. The result is a song-cycle. Erin's Green Shore describes a young girl, who meets her beloved in The Maid of Newfoundland. In Sweet William she loses her love to the ravages of the sea, and laments his loss in The Maiden's Lament. She's Like the Swallow forms a coda and a final comment to the tragedy. The songs are performed without pause. The Maiden's Lament was awarded first prize in the 1991 Newfoundland and Labrador Arts and Letters Competition. The work is dedicated to Lawrence Cherney.

REVIEWS 1. The Performance on the CD LYRE: St. John's Evening Telegram, 1997: Glenn Colton My personal favorite is the beautiful Maiden's Lament. In this well crafted cycle, Parker sets original music to the text of five Newfoundland folk songs, preserving the spirit of the folk song tradition while at the same time building upon that tradition by offering fresh musical alternatives to existing folk song texts. Catherine Cornick's expressive singing and natural flair for this style of music was captivating and highly effective, while Kristina Szutor's sensitive piano playing was also a highlight. 2. The Performance of February 25, 1999: Nielsen, Lemieux, Kortgaard Peter Jackson, The Evening Telegram, St. John's, NF The last two works on the program called for a joint effort by all three musicians. Their first offering was Michael Parker's The Maiden's Lament. When the Corner Brook composer was commissioned some years ago to write a work centred on Newfoundland folk songs, he decided he would base it on a selection of known songs but would compose his own melodies (Not that anyone could ever accuse Parker of being a mere arranger!). It begins and ends with a clever device - the oboist achieves reverberation by playing a melodic snatch into the piano while the pianist depresses the sustain pedal. Despite Parker's far-ranging deviation from original melodies, the trio succeeded admirably in capturing the weaving, lilting character of each song tribute.