John and Salome, Op. 80

Op. 80 JOHN AND SALOME (September 1, 1999)
Operetta in One Unnatural Act

PART I

I. Turn  II. You Snakes! 

III. CHORUS - "I Should Be"

  IV. PAVANE - "Are You the One" 


 V. SALOME'S DANCE - "I Swear" 

VI. BLUES TROPE - "Ah, Marvellous!" 


  VII. DIRGE - "Bring Me the Head" Score:

https://imslp.org/wiki/John_and_Salome%2C_Op.80_(Alburger%2C_Mark)


Program Note:

 John and Salome is a dismemberment of G.F. Handel's Messiah (Comfort Ye and Ev'ry Valley), Stephen Schwartz's Godspell (Alas, Alas for You), Igor Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (I.), Gabriel Faure's Pavanne, Richard Strauss's Salome, and Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique (IV. March to the Scaffold).

Performances:

February 20, 2010

Return to Return to Sorrento

San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra

Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, CA

September 28, 2019

The Opus Project presents 79-80: Fate Knocking at the Floor

The Opus Project Chamber Orchestra

Diablo Valley College Music Building, Pleasant Hill, CA

Recordings / Videos:

STORIES WITH A VIEW
(Complete Works, Volume 26)

JOHN AND SALOME) 

Operetta in One Unnatural Act

Part I

I. ACCOMPANIED RECITATIVE - "Turn"

II. ARIA - "You Snakes!"

III. CHORUS - "I Should"

Part II

IV. PAVANE - "Are You the One"

V. SALOME'S DANCE - "I Swear"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1XkLpoazj8

VI. BLUES TROPE - "Ah, Marvellous!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vntKJtS8-es

VII. DIRGE - "Bring Me the Head"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTdBaWEmcSI

San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra

Job: A Masque, Op. 79

Op. 79 JOB: A MASQUE 

     (August 1, 1999) for Voices and Orchestra 

     [or Pierrot Ensemble] 

SCENE I - INTRODUCTION - "What you been doing?" 

     (Duet - God and Satan)

SCENE II - DIRGE - "We were plowing" 

     (Quartet - 4 Messengers / Solo - Job)

SCENE III - DOUBLE - "Where have you been?" 

     (Duet - God and Satan) 

SCENE IV - CANON - "Curse God and die" 

     (Duet - Job and Job's Wife) 

SCENE V - MOTET - "Place a curse" 

     (Aria - Job) 

SCENE VI - DIALOGUE I - "Man is born to suffer" 

     (Sextet I) 

SCENE VII - DIALOGUE II - "Empty words" 

     (Sextet II) 

SCENE VIII - DIALOGUE III - "Is there someone" 

     (Sextet III) 

SCENE IX - MONOLOGUE - "I am still young" 

     (Aria - Elihu) 

SCENE X - WHIRLWIND - "Who are you" 

     (Arioso - Quintet - Arioso) 

SCENE XI - EPILOGUE - "Lord blessed the last part" 

     (Aria - Satan) 


Score:

https://imslp.org/wiki/Job:_A_Masque%2C_Op.79_(Alburger%2C_Mark)

Performances:

June 17, 19, 2010

Fresh Voices X

God / Bildad the Shuhite - Nanette McGuinness 

Satan / Zophar the Naamathite / Messenger IV - Crystal Philippi 

Job - Marilyn Pratt 

Job's Wife / Messenger III - Kate Bautch

Eliphaz the Temanite / Messenger II - Sarita Cannon 

Elihu / Messenger I - Heather Klein

Director - Mark Alburger

Music Director - Martha Stoddard

Goat Hall Productions

Live Oak Theatre, Berkeley, CA

November 13, 2010

God / Bildad the Shuhite - Harriet March Page

Satan / Zophar the Naamathite / Messenger IV - Maria Mikheyenko

Job - Marilyn Pratt 

Job's Wife / Messenger III - Kate Bautch

Eliphaz the Temanite / Messenger II -  Suzanna Mizell

Elihu / Messenger I - Heather Klein

Director - Mark Alburger

Music Director - Martha Stoddard

Goat Hall Productions Pierrot Ensemble
Community Music Center, San Francisco, CA

December 1, 2017

Goat Hall 30th Anniversary Celebration

Harriet March Page, Mezzo-Soprano / Mark Alburger, Tenor
Frank Johnson, Piano

Community Music Center, San Francisco, CA

September 28, 2019

The Opus Project presents 79-80: Fate Knocking at the Floor

The Opus Project Chamber Orchestra

Diablo Valley College Music Building, Pleasant Hill, CA

Program Note:

Mark Alburger's JOB: A MASQUE is born to suffer in comparison with its troping sources, including Ralph Vaughan Williams's Job: A Masque for Dancing (which serves as overall framework) with sparks flying upwards into Alban Berg's Three Pieces for Orchestra and Wozzeck, George Crumb's Makrokosmos (Volume III: Music for a Summer Evening), Alburger's Animal Farm, and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, plus related trials from Philip Glass and 60's rock.


Images / Music / Video:

Op. 79 JOB: A MASQUE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPHQGytjPRE&list=PL376F718839ABC13E&index=33

SCENE I - INTRODUCTION - "What you been doing?" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPHQGytjPRE

 SCENE II - DIRGE - "We were plowing" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqbpsaZT3FI


SCENE III - DOUBLE - "Where have you been?" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHyNZMtxt58



SCENE IV - CANON - "Curse God and die" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q1hRmBoPCM



SCENE V - MOTET - "Place a curse" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0xapIg5Zxg


SCENE VI - DIALOGUE I - "Man is born to suffer" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiGPyzM5Xm0




SCENE VII - DIALOGUE II - "Empty words"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f1gMSypHvo&t=93s

 
VIII. DIALOGUE III - "Is There Someone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j71SNCNE-n0 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsTToBw5M3c




SCENE IX - MONOLOGUE - "I am still young" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVNYVFMP7A&t=2s



SCENE X - WHIRLWIND - "Who are you" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=693ETZirCIM



SCENE XI - EPILOGUE - "Lord blessed the last part" 

Esther Xerxes, Op. 78 (1999)

Op. 78 ESTHER XERXES (July 1, 1999)
Opera in Three Acts for Voices and Orchestra

Ouverture  Atto Primo

 

I. CORO - "Bring Queen Vashti"

  II. ARIOSO

 

"Why don't you make a search to find some beautiful young virgins?" 

III. SINFONIA E SCENA

 

"When King Nebuchadnezzar" (Esther in the Harem) 

IV. DUETTO

 

"Bigthana and Teresh" (The Plot Against Xerxes) 

Atto Secondo 

V. ARIA - "There is a certain race" (The Plot Against the Jews) 

VI. SCHERZO - "On the thirteenth day of Adar" (Esther and Mordecai) 

VII. ARIA - "If anyone" (Esther in the Hall) 

VIII. SCENA - "What is it" (Esther, Xerxes, and Haman) 

Atto Terzo 

IX. TERZETTO - "Now, then, Queen Esther" (The Death of Haman) 

X. ARIA E CORO - "Proclamation issued" 

Score:

https://imslp.org/wiki/Esther_Xerxes%2C_Op.78_(Alburger%2C_Mark)

Performance:

May 25, 2019

The Opus Project presents 77-78: Being and Somethingness

Diablo Valley College Music Building, Pleasant Hill, CA

Recording:

STORIES WITH A VIEW
(Complete Works, Volume 26)

Henry Miller in Brooklyn, Op. 77

Op. 77 HENRY MILLER IN BROOKLYN (May 29, 1999)
(after Mel Clay)
A Music Theatre Piece in Two Acts
(Soprano, Alto, Tenor, 2 Winds, 2 Trumpets, Trombone, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums)
I. Overture
II. Suicide Song
III. Morning Chorale I
IIIa. Morning Chorale II
IIIb. Egypt
IV. At the Blood Bank
V. Coney Island
VI. Arthur Rimbaud I
VII. Idea Song
VIII. Love Song
IX. At the Club
X. Paris
XI. Subway Madman
XIa. June's Song
XII. Ballad of Past Lovers
XIIa. What Shall I Wear
XIII. Pregnancy Ballad
XIIIa. Morning Chorale III
XIV. Ballad of the Difficult Life
XV. Suicide and Seduction Song
XVI. Party Tango
XVII. Useful Song
XVIII. Doctor Song
XVIIIa. I Want to be your Woman
XIX. I Wrote This Today
XX. Hello Jupiter
XXI. Finale


Score:

https://imslp.org/wiki/Henry_Miller_in_Brooklyn%2C_Op.77_(Alburger%2C_Mark)


Performances:

July 10, 1999
Mark Alburger, Voice
American Composer's Forum, Yerba Buena Center, San Francisco, CA

December 5, 1999
Mark Alburger and Laurie Amat, Voices; NEW MUSIC Ensemble
American Composer's Forum, Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco, CA

December 17, 1999
Mark Alburger, Voice
NEW MUSIC House, San Rafael, CA

June 17-18, 2000
Fresh Voices Festival
Goat Hall, San Francisco, CA

HENRY - Mark Alburger
JUNE - Jennifer Ashworth
JEANNE - Diana Landau

I. Suicide Song
(Alburger)

VI. Arthur Rimbaud I
(Landau)

XIa. June's Song
(Ashworth)

June 30, 2000
Mark Alburger, Voice
NEW MUSIC House, San Rafael, CA

August 26-27, 2000
Harriet March Page, Soprano
Two Fish Out of Water, Goat Hall Productions, San Francisco, CA

September 23, 2000
Mark Alburger, Voice
Hurlburt Salon, San Francisco, CA

December 22, 2000
Harriet March Page, Soprano
NEW MUSIC House, CA

April 30, 2001
Leticia C. Page, Soprano
Pacifica TV, Pacifica, CA

May 4-20, 2001
Goat Hall Productions
Potrero Hill Neighborhood House Theatre, San Francisco, CA

HENRY - Rick Richetta
JUNE - Leticia C. Page
JEANNE - Elaine Romanelli


February 23, 2002
Laurie Amat, Soprano
College Music Society, California State University - Stanislaus, Turlock, CA

May 2, 2002
Jennifer Ashworth, Soprano
Diablo Valley College Theatre, Pleasant Hill, CA

April 20, 2007
Suzanna Mizell, Soprano; Alexis Alrich, Piano
Old First Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, CA

April 27, 2019

The Opus Project presents Spirit of Opus 75-76

Diablo Valley College Music Building, Pleasant Hill, CA

July 7, 2018

Flower Piano

Mark Alburger, Tenor / Martha, Piano

Golden Gate Park Botanical Garden, San Francisco, CA

Recording:

HENRY MILLER IN BROOKLYN (New Music, 2008)
I. Overture
II. Suicide Song
III. Morning Chorale I
IIIa. Morning Chorale II
IIIb. Egypt
IV. At the Blood Bank
V. Coney Island
VI. Arthur Rimbaud I
VII. Idea Song
VIII. Love Song
IX. At the Club
X. Paris
XI. Subway Madman
XIa. June's Song
XII. Ballad of Past Lovers
XIIa. What Shall I Wear
XIII. Pregnancy Ballad
XIIIa. Morning Chorale III
XIV. Ballad of the Difficult Life
XV. Suicide and Seduction Song
XVI. Party Tango
XVII. Useful Song
XVIII. Doctor Song
XVIIIa. I Want to be your Woman
XIX. I Wrote This Today
XX. Hello Jupiter
XXI. Finale