TGIF, Nov 10

Michael Tortorella will be playing Charles Griffes’ “Roman Sketches” and “Al Far della Notte” at our Friday concert. Sanctuary doors open at 5:15 pm and the concert begins at 5:30. The concert is free with donations accepted.

Program:

Roman Sketches – Charles Griffes (1884-1920)

The White Peacock

Dedication: Rudolf Ganz

THE WHITE PEACOCK – William Sharp

Here where the sunlight
Floodeth the garden,
Where the pomegranate
Reareth its glory
Of gorgeous blossom;
Where the oleanders
Dream through the noontides;
……………………………………
………….Where the heat lies
Pale blue in the hollows,
……………………………………
Here where the dream-flowers,
The cream-white poppies,
Silently waver,
……………………………………
Here as the breath, as the soul of this beauty,
Moveth in silence, and dreamlike, and slowly,
White as a snowdrift in mountain valleys
When softly upon it the gold light lingers:
……………………………………
Moves the white peacock, as tho’ through the noontide
A dream of the moonlight were real for a moment.
Dim on the beautiful fan that he spreadeth,
……………………………………
Dim on the cream-white are blue adumbrations,
……………………………………
Pale, pale as the breath of blue smoke in far woodlands,
Here, as the breath, as the soul of this beauty,
Moves the White Peacock.

           Al Far della Notte

Dedication: Winifred Christie

The long day is over.

 

Michael Tortorella

Michael Tortorella moved to Santa Fe in 2019 after retiring from Bell Laboratories and Rutgers University.  He holds the Ph. D. degree in mathematics from Purdue University.  In addition to his recent book Reliability, Maintainability, and Supportability Best Practices for Systems Engineers, he is the author of many articles in refereed journals as well as several book chapters.

 Michael began playing the piano while living in Tirrenia, Italy, at age 5.  His first teacher was Maria Fanali of Marina di Pisa.  Subsequently he studied with Constance Meich of the Bronx, NY.  He currently works with Rosa Maria Martin of San Diego, CA.  While loving Chopin as the fount of all pianism, he currently favors the music of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries: Scriabin, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Griffes.