February 10 - Berkeley Bounce

To Berkeley for Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse: The White Horse rehearsal (show is 8pm, February 16, St. Gregory of Nyssa, 500 De Haro, SF, more info at markalburgerevents.blogspot.com and goathall.org), beginning with Harriet and Sarah for Flying Out the Mouth, concluding with a run-through, with MIDI tracks and keyboard.


Next up, Suzanna, with Mice Suite No. 2 and a White Horse Suite of June's Song from Henry Miler in Brooklyn, Block 12 from Camino Real, and Brunnhilde from Cats, Dogs, and Divas, a combination of known material and coming-along-nicely.


Lunch, and probably the last time, at Celia's Berkeley at its near-the-waterfront local, since they're closing this Thursday, then we're back home in merry glissading abandonment, putting up material on the blogs.


Including recordings just made of Op 60 12 Preludes and Fugues: IIa Basic Position on the Triads (Prelude)



(with its alarming pseudo-G.F. Handel-Water-Music distortions) and

XIa. Turn On, Boot Up (Prelude)



(a rhythmic regularizing of The Bald Soprano: Goodness Someone Is Knocking [Part II], with thrashy guitars) both here and at markalburgerworks.blogspot.com, plus writing up Claudio Monteverdi and posting pictures and three versions of the Toccata from L'Orfeo up at markalburgermusichistory.blogspot.com.

February 3 - Rise & Fall of Roaming Empiricist

Up early to Diablo Valley College to record instrumental version of the interior part of Camino Real: Block 12, for the Horsewomen of the Apocalypse: The White Horse show, 8pm, February 16 at St. Gregory of Nyssa (500 De Haro Street, SF - goathall.org)


Doug's in the lab, grading Assignment 1 for Music 173. Well I remember it, recording Antigone: 10 Come On Now, Miss with haunted-house wind and chains,


(above are Mark Alburger, Guard III; David Saslav, Guard II [obscured], Leticia C. Page, Antigone; Robert Benda, Guard I).

Jump in the car, through the Caldecott Tunnel,

over Bay Bridge to San Francisco,


for rehearsal with Suzanna,

who continues to make a great Curley's Wife, vocally and dramatically, in Mice Suite No. 2, which we have determined will use the orchestral tracks after all.

Also go over Camino: 12 -- surreal to have finally recorded it, after Karl's excellent recording -- and "June's Song," from Henry Miller in Brooklyn (here's Jennifer Ashworth, below, from the showcase performances, pre the run, with more pictures at markalburgerworks.blogspot.com, and the overture to same at the ilike spot).


Cold, bluster day in SF, with random huge dark clouds and rain spritzes (contrary to some of the sunny pictures above), so it's time to head home, the weather still looming over the English Hills beyond the Chevron in the near environs.


Check in with Harriet, and all's well in Seattle, particularly with Tisha's recital (we certainly still miss having her down here on a regular basis).


Finish preparation of the March 2008 21ST-CENTURY MUSIC (soon to appear at 21st-centurymusic.blogspot.com and, one would hope, eventually at 21st-centurymusic.com, as well as print version from P.O. Box 2842, San Anselmo, CA) for final proofing this week. Cover references Frederic Rzweski


The Fall of the Empire.