Once more, I’ve been working like a dog to finish the third movement of my symphony, and behold! I have finally finished it and mixed the demo, which I am happy to share below. The real orchestra CD will come after the fourth and final movement is composed – that’s later. But first . . baby goats!

Everybody loves goats! Whether roasted or for cuddling. Since last time, we went to Noble Springs Dairy in Franklin, Tennessee for some baby goat cuddles, aww, and a tour of their goat-cheese operation, and some time with chickens and beautiful black angus cows. It was a perfect, cool, sunny, early fall day surrounded by beautiful views, complete with a goat-cheeseboard picnic. We bought more of their flavored goat cheeses and some of their grass-fed black angus steaks to take home (still in the freezer, awaiting some special occasion).

It seems we are finally inches, nay centimeters, away from a formal announcement of the choreographer for Raffaella, A Tragic Ballet in Two Acts. I hope to post his name, photo, and biography here next time.

Meanwhile, I’ll shoot the breeze by telling you that we had a lovely trip in beautiful weather to Knoxville, TN, to see a friend sing in the cast of Verdi’s opera Falstaff. By the way, if the composer of this opera, Giuseppi Verdi, were from Knoxville, his name in English would be Fred Green. Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

The opera was in the truly gorgeous Tennessee Theater. Oddly, we happened to be seated right in front of Mary Costa, the celebrated soprano who sang the title role in Disney’s 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty and also many operas at the Met. She happens to be from Knoxville and now lives there in her retirement. Our friend Rebekah did a great job, and we had fun shopping and seeing some sights in downtown Knoxville. We also had tea at the Apple Cake Tea Room in a log cabin, where this poster was displayed. I did not order the possum.

The round-one voting for the 2024 Grammy Awards has now opened, and if you happen to be voting member of the Recording Academy, you will see that my Symphony No. 2 album is on the ballot for “Best New Classical Composition” (Entry no. 000268). If you have things on the ballot somewhere, please e-mail me and let me know the category. My rock partner in crime, Kip Winger with the band Winger also have their fantastic new album, Winger Seven, in a few categories, and together we await the results of round one and the list of five finalists (“nominees”) in each category. My own expectations are low, I must say.

Back at the Hilltop, the only outdoor news is several sightings of a pair of foxes, besides our many deer. But indoors, our long plumbing nightmare has continued in the past week. We were beset with a plumber swat team (trucks shown here) and finally had to re-pipe the entire house. Ka-ching! (6K, Ouch!)  The original galvanized metal pipes from 1972 all turned out to be rotten and thick inside. At least the new PVC pipes are an investment in the value of the home, not to mention a spiritual catharsis, as I picture clear water flowing freely through lovely white pipes.

However, when I just opened the refrigerator, I saw that the light inside was burned out. I did have a spare bulb. Point being made by God is that there is always going to be something large or small to keep life interesting for the homeowner. If you are thinking of buying your first house, please be sure you figure into your budget a monthly contribution to a savings account to be used for major repairs. It saved our bacon this time and also a few months ago when we suddenly had to shell out 3K for new garage doors.

We have company coming in tomorrow from Wisconsin and are excited about showing off to them Nashville’s new Sinatra restaurant, downtown by the end of Printer’s Alley. It was opened under the blessing and supervision of his daughter, Tina Sinatra, and has great Italian food and live, wonderfully-sung Sinatra music. Once again I will order the carbonara bucatini, made with real guanciale (pork cheek, not pancetta like they often use in the U.S. – a very different flavor, since guanciale is not smoked).  

Now it is my pleasure, if you wish to hear it, to share with you below the virtual mock-up of my newly-completed (on October 12^th) third movement of my in-progress Symphony No. 3: “English.” This movement is subtitled “The Lady of Shalott.” Kindly first read the program note just below, and then scroll down and hit the play button. This movement, in spite of its light-hearted tone, probably has the most complex orchestration I’ve ever done, so this movement was a thorny job to compose, requiring extra patience. (Orchestration is assigning which of 92 instruments will play what parts and in what combinations, both of which here are constantly changing.) Program Note: 

3. “The Lady of Shalott.” I have always loved Waterhouse’s colorful, Pre-Raphaelite-style depiction of the Lady of Shalott on her boat (shown here), about to float down to Camelot singing her song of love and death, as described in Tennyson’s famous poem. She has so many mixed emotions, and her story is so complex that I would not attempt in music to tell it in a chronological narrative. Rather, I have immersed my imagination into her world and, like the Lady, woven my own tapestry of its elements. The rondo form allows for many themes and variants of the traditional third-movement dance style, be they a stately, antique minuet, a romantic waltz, or a spritely scherzo. So, I mix all of them up in an ever-changing riparian landscape of a fantasia, as in a dream of her boat’s journey down the swirling river. One of the melodies sounds more like a breezy boat theme, while others, as Tennyson describes, sound like her poignant songs of love and looming death. At the end of the eleven-minute movement, death comes peacefully, as her boat glides silently into Camelot.

Please note that the video is temporary, for your amusement just now – this symphony (all four movements) is a work for the concert hall with no pictures except those in your own mind. These pictures of the Lady of Shalott are random and do not necessarily go with the music at that spot.