March 4 - An Afternoon and an Evening - The c. 18,586th Day

Morning fun and games and afternoon of Giuseppe Verdi,


first the Quartet and Storm from Rigoletto, in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's film


then the Triumphant Entry from Aida for dictation:

Sol Do Re Sol Re Mi Mi Mi Mi Fa Do Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi Re Do Re Mi Mi Re Mi Mi Do Re Re

with a lot of I and V chords, often in first and second inversions, and some V7's, ultimately leading to vi (v of ii or II) and II (V of V).


Evening class from Antonin Dvorak to Scott Joplin (at least the don't all have beards, referring back to yesterday's blog) and


look how hard we're working on the left side of classroom -- Kai, Kevin, Cecilia, Seung, Min, Suong, Christopher, Ahn, Larry, Jacki, Kyle, John (visiting from morning class), Brian, Zhen, Mojib --


and also on the right -- continuing with Alicia, Chris, Vania, Lamar (shielded from the paparazzo), Anthony, Sepidah, and Kim.


Thereafter, continuing on the Left, Bank that is, and it's obviously gray shirt night, with Doug, Peter, Owen,


and Steve (and cheers, no beards).

Prepare for publication the third page of "I Done Another Bad Thing" from Mice and Men: Act V, Scene 1.

March 3 - Serendipitous Rags

Turns out it's a bit early, but nevertheless we make it Scott Jopin day in Music Theory.


The Entertainer (1902), first phrase of first theme



C: Re Ri Mi Do Mi Do Mi Do Do Re Ri Mi Do Re Mi Ti Re Do

V I I6 I64 I65 (V65 of IV) IV IV6 I6 I64 I6 I64 V V7 I

Record new versions of the first three movements of Duo Sonata No. 1 ("Hyphenated") in the lab, including III. Serenade-Rag.

March 2 - Berkeley SF Double-Header Seconds

Off and on again through the Contra Costa Hills to a


rendezvous with Harriet and


other San Francisco Cabaret Opera folks (Janet Lohr, Beth Henry, and Kat Cornelius) at Chamber Arts in Berkeley for second rehearsal of


San Rafael News,


Antigone: III-V, and


The Fire from The Bald Soprano as part of the final two


Horsewomen of the Apocalypse shows at St. Gregory's in San Francisco (markalburgerevents.blogspot.com): The Red Horse and


Black Horse / Gray Horse


Lunch with Harriet and Vicky at Pasand in Berkeley, then blitzing over the Bay Bridge for


San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra March Madness concert (8pm, 3/8, Old First Church, SF, info and pictures at above) second rehearsal, with, among others, Clare Twohy, Katrina Wreede,


and Victor Flaviani (with Tom Prosek looking on).

March 1 - Off in the Mind

We're off to walk-and-dine in Napa
A wonderful break for us both.
We zoom away in Harriet's car
Which means I can take shotgun shots.


If ever or never I'm able to take a
Picture of Cherry Valley it's now.
Because it does go fast when passed on the right --
It's often a fuzz, not a wonderful sight.


But it's there, Amahl. And so is Jameson Canyon.


With a blazing riot of wildflowers at its mouth.


We leapfrog just beyond the Napa city border, at the intersection of Old Solano and Congress Valley Roads,


with treed hills to the south


and north.


But our route is straight up the gentle hill, and back down into Napa proper.


The patterns of the vineyards are intoxicating


geometrical,


set against natural architecture, pruned by the wind.


The road is dappled and mild to the south,


blazing and sere north,


up and over, straight on,


across the Napa Valley to the distant Vaca Mountains from these Mayacamas foothills.


And here we are for lunch at Joe's by the Napa River -- well, Harriet, contemplative, at least --


and me.


Can't see me? Here's up close.


Well, maybe too close,


in the reflection, which also includes a panorama of mountains,


mezmerized as Harriet holds forth.


Return via Jameson Canyon again, near the Napa-Solano border, a lonely power-pole crucifix (well, guess not, there's only a transformer perched on it -- transformer, hmm...),


two redwoods, and beyond


nothing but a naked declivity,



with shadowy cattle,


flowers and a high-wire bird (also shadowy),


lines of trees and grass and clouds,


isolated powerlines,


cliffs. Rather a lot, really.


Home (as opposed to Arizona's Canyon de Chelly, above), mixing recording of Harriet in All the Dark Birds, in versions for



Flying Out the Mouth and



Flying Mixes, with the addition of the original Navajo Ribbon Dance.