Finish the orchestration of Samson and Delilah: VI. Downfall (The Death of Abimelech) but aol won't allow the MIDI file to be emailed, so looks like one step closer to abandoning that increasingly inconvenient format. Have also recently been given the Sibelius program for the laptop, courtesy of Andrew, so perhaps will also be moving away from the old Encore program on the desktop.
Nate and James team up for a dictation / board harmony on the Lennon-McCartney Hey, Jude, and we listen thereafter to Nate's fourth composition, as well as those by Neill and Seth (all quite impressive), plus Joshua Fought the Battle and as much of S&D as has been recorded (through some of V. Disorientation [Gideon]). Daniel plays one of his intriguing minimalist-reminiscent pieces after class, which brings to mind Subway Madman, from Henry Miller in Brooklyn (not sure who his friend is in the above photo, but whatever...) -- subsequently played.
In the lab, record all of Downfall (had sent most of the MIDI yesterday, and completed in Cubase, with the addition of some ACID loops), then fly out the door to Marin (photo is of Mt. Tamalpais last August 22, but whatever...), via Berkeley, and arrive at printer's with minutes to spare, picking copies of September 2005 back issue of 21st-Century Music, followed by post office with seconds to spare.
After Celia's and paper grading, off to Macy's (via Mervyn's in its last gasp) and, low and behold, there's the Phono / Tape-Player / Radio / CD Burner that we've been seeking (not a Crossly but an Innovative Technology...). Very helpful saleswoman and somehow I carry it (mostly on my head with the laptop slung over the shoulder) down from the third floor, all the way across the Northgate Mall, up again to the second-story parking structure.
Return home to Harriet, we set up the player-recorder, and, low and behold, it works. For the record, so to speak,
First radio station played: Sacramento Classical
First tape played: John Adams - The Chairman Dances
First record played: Alban Berg - Wozzeck
First CD played: Philip Glass - "Low" Symphony
First CD burned: Igor Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress
