Alma-Tadema

Swam. To Kensington library to get scores which are all in store. Assistant produced Mahler 1 (2 versions) so took the large one and Rachmaninov Symphonies. So I explained I wanted Rachmaninov Piano concerto no.4 which she found but the Ravel songs have gone awol! To Leighton House for the superb Alma-Tadema exhibition - he could paint anything! Do not miss! To Cadogan for a brilliant concert with Il Pomo d'Oro and the young cellist Edgar Moreau who is exceptional! Tried to do some sketches as the whole group had amazing hair! Loved the talk on cuneiform with Irving Finkel from the British Museum. Bournemouth SO played well but in Belshazzar the national youth choir needed more male voices to balance the orchestra. Was it a good idea to have the choir sing so loudly in the Prokofiev? Belshazzar needs a lot of vocal stamina. The Beethoven and Strauss were lovely.