Test piece for the 2002 All Japan Band Competition

I was incredibly fortunate that this work was chosen, as it opened the door for me to begin working in the field of wind music. For that reason, this piece holds a special place in my heart.

As the title suggests, "Lament" means "to grieve" or "to mourn." True to its name, the music feels like an extended expression of sorrow from beginning to end - consistently slow and profoundly dark in tone. It's almost hard to believe it was chosen as a test piece, considering how unsuitable it seems for the mental well-being of junior and senior high school students.

When I finished composing such athis somber piecework, I felt it needed a fitting title. I began flipping through a music dictionary from the very beginningstarting with "A", painstakingly going throughconsidering every section. I still vividly remember finally landing on a word I feltthat truly matched the piece. I practically read through the entire dictionary in the process.

(Chang Su KOH)