of our synthesis is a silyloxy-Coperearrangement of the chiral, silylated aldol product 2 which proceeds selectively through the chair-like transition state with the silyloxy group in the pseudoaxial and the carboximide group in the pseudoequatorial position. The two methyl-substituted stereogenic centers of the natural product are generated with ds > 97:3. The rearrangement product 4 is converted