Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Charles Munch conduct the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (Fantastic Symphony), a work it took me a very long time to like, but I do really like it now and this performance is really tops, in that exceptional RCA Living Stereo sound. And speaking of fantastique, we had a pretty fantastique stumble-through yesterday. It was a full house here at the home environment and all the young folks did very well. I gave a little chat first and then we began. The pace of the show itself was really good, as was the structure, so that was all heartening. I took notes as we went, of course. After we finished, then I gave each young person their notes – they were small things, mostly, and easy adjustments to make. We ran whatever the problem areas were and that was that. So, I think they’re all excited for today’s show, as am I.
After the stumble-through, I went to dinner with the Margolis clan – the two daughters and mom – Barone’s. I had my usual carbonara, which was excellent. I couldn’t finish it, so I took home the rest. I only had a small piece of garlic bread and a little salad with it. It was a fun meal, and then I came directly home afterwards.
I wasn’t in the mood to watch anything, so I read through the commentary for today’s show, fixed a few things, then printed it out and got everything ready to take to Vitello’s. Then I had a telephonic call, I answered e-mails, forwarded more orders (more to go, which I’ll finish doing after I post these here notes), and listened to music. I finished the carbonara, took all my preventatives, and rested my voice and relaxed, not necessarily in that order.
Prior to all that, I’d gotten seven hours of sleep. Once up, it was the usual things – answering e-mails, then showering and getting ready for the arrival of the young folks and their parents (not all the parents attended, as I’d warned that seating was limited – it all worked out pretty well, though). Then we did our stumble-through, and the rest you know because I’ve already typed it up in neat little easy to read letters that were easy to read and were letters that formed sentences and paragraphs.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, but no later than noon, then I’ll relax and rest my voice until it’s time to get ready. I’ll shave and shower, and then I’ll mosey on over to Vitello’s for our sound check. Then I’ll have the little Caesar side salad before the show. Then we do our show and after some of us will go downstairs for food. After that, I’ll come home and regale you with all the show details and our cast photograph and whatever other photographs we have.
Tomorrow, it’s back to writing on the project with David Wechter, but also proofing the new book – I kind of enjoy doing that whilst having a sandwich in a restaurant, so I may do that, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and I still have two sets of liner notes to do, but one of them is super simple. The rest of the week is more of the same and as soon as I’m done proofing, I’ll enter all those fixes, and then get that version to the proofers. I also have meetings and meals, and then there will most likely be a casting session for LA Now and Then on Sunday morning.
Now playing is a Debussy piece entitled La Damoiselle Elue (That Dame Elue) – it’s some sort of something with singing and it’s just beautiful – mono sound but excellent – and Charles Munch conducting. Let’s see what this thing actually is. Ah, it is a cantata for soprano soloist, 2-part children’s choir, 2-part female choir, and orchestra. It premiered in 1893, a few years prior to my birth. The first recording was in 1942 with Eugene Ormandy, so I may have that in the big Ormandy box – I’ll have to check. That one has Bidu Sayao. The one I’m listening to is from 1955 and features Victoria de Los Angeles, who is wunderbar. I do have the Ormandy, so I’ll listen to that, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, relax and rest my voice, shave and shower, have a sound check, eat a tiny salad, do our show, eat a normal meal, and then regale you with tales of the show and a plethora of photographs. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a stumble-through fantastique.