August 2 - Shady Deal

Lunch at Chevy's with Harriet, another working repast, finishing grading for piano class,



in palm-shaded sunlit view of the Vaca Mountains and



English Hills, returning home for much merriment, including a pool jaunt and completed orchestration of Esther Xerxes: X. Proclamation Issued (19 pages total).



Also put up information on Saul! Saul!, Mice Suites, King David, Solomon, Elijah Rock, The Opera of Daniel, Buddha's Little Instruction Book, Symphony No. 3 ("Recycled"), and Esther Xerxes up at markalburgerworks.blogspot.com, including the first half of the Tritone Orchestra recordings of Esther.

May 16 - Dreaming of Two Places at Once

In the best of all possible worlds, would be at the Baccalaureate tonight and at rehearsal today. Still tied up, so to speak, on the west coast, went to Sex and Delilah practice, which would have been missed otherwise, and we accomplish much in a run-through and 2/3rds, including the final "If they tie me up" (with Maria Mikheyenko as the Woman of Timnah and a Prostitute, in addition to the title role here) and



"Gouged his eyes out" (with Philistines [alternately Angel / Manoah / Samson's Wife's Father / Manoah's Wife / Lion / Bees / Foxes / Israelites] Kristen Brown and Nanette McGuiness) -- all Biblical texts (The Book of Judges) after the King James, Revised Standard, and Good News for Modern Man versions, with the exception of interpolated bits from Saint-Saens's Samson librettist Ferdinand Lemaire, to be presented this coming Friday and Saturday evening at San Francisco's Community Music Center on Capp Street, as part of SF Cabaret Opera's Fresh Voices IX, which will continue Sunday with other worthy works including a take on



Lady Mcbeth.



Brief walk thereafter at Lake Merritt, from the viewpoint west of the little redwood park to the



Alameda County Courthouse and



Camron-Stanford House Park, then back with views of



1200 Lakeshore and



environs.



Back to Paul Dresher Studio to meet with Alan Crossman (re performance with the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra of his Plasticity [featuring Tom Nunn on Sonograph]),



while William Loney prepares for Sailor Boy, and the cast of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief assembles, including



Suzanna Mizell,



James McGough, Michelle Jasso (who is also Lady Mcbeth), and Meghan Dibble, accompanied by Alan.



Then back out, through the Caldecott Tunnel on Route 24 towards Mt. Diablo, in c. 90-100-degree temperatures to the



east side of Acalanes Ridge, ascending via Tired Oak Gate towards



the Summit



South Summit,



Summit Pass (above the violence of a firebreak) and



Oak, descending with



precisely one view of Diablo, near



arched oaks toward the Concord Range.



Paper grading (Theory Compositions 3-4) at China Garden, then home to orchestrate two more pages of Elijah Rock: VIII. Baal (The Prophets of Baal and the People).

May 9 - Angels and Devils

After a bit of Journal work in the morning, we're all off book for our first rehearsal with complete cast and piano (at Paul Dresher Studio) for Sex and Delilah, performances in less than two weeks (as part of San Francisco Cabaret Opera's Fresh Voices IX - May 22 and 23, Community Music Center, SF) with

Maria Mikheyenko - Philistine Girl at Timnah / Prostitute / Delilah
Kristen Brown - Angel / Manoah / Samson's Wife's Father / Philistine
Nanette McGuiness - Manoah's Wife / Philistine / Israelite
Mark Alburger - Samson
Alexander Katsman - Piano


A walk along Acalanes


Ridge follows,


to its intersection with the


Briones -


Mt. Diablo



Trail


with views of Pleasant Hill,


the distant Twin Sisters and Vaca Mountains,



Port Chicago,


Concord and its Ridge,


the Treat Boulevard Complex of


Walnut Creek,


Las Trampas Ridge,


Lafayette Ridge's Elizabeth Canyon Pass,


a pool paradise (with Acalanes High and Deer Hill Road beyond --



seemingly awaiting sun, or shade, bathers) and


variegated hues of a eucalyptus row. Paper grading at China Garden thereafter and a new recording at DVC of Elijah Rock: III. Rehoboam (Chronology and Call) (with saxophonic vocals throughout), plus a rendition for IV. Now (Elijah and the Widow), returning home (exactly as Harriet arrives from the long general rehearsal), for first two pages of orchestration re V. Man (Elijah and the Widow's Son).

April 16 - Play of Shadows

Proceeding apace, in the fore and aft of the day, orchestrating Solomon: VIII. You Know (The Building of the Temple and Palace), then flying through space,



past the still lifes of the Sulfur Springs Mountains and


St. John Mine Hill Ranch.



to Dioclesian/Diocletian final dress rehearsal, with Alison and Kim at home resting, Alix's ankle on the verge of full recovery, Maria marking by the end of the evening, and Indre standing in as Drusilla for



the latter work's



I. First Paragraph Music,



II. E-I-E-I-O Thunder ("Great Diocletian



a bore has become /



Old Mars and Venus



mutually inspire all of life's passions"),



III. Happy Funeral Music



("Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy...")



IV. What Shall I Do,



V. Speak, Flame



("Joy Can Be Yours /



Great Diocletian,



The Great Persecutor"), and



VI. Country Dance



("Diocletian executed



his memorable resolution abdicating authority /



Retiring immediately to a villa in Luciana



where he was unable to find any lasting tranquility or



peace").