The organist librarian

To Mass. Watched Victoria and Proms extra, also Gurrelieder from Prom. Setting up new dashcam. Ordered new printer. Liz's laptop has come. Haydn No 88 from the Concertgebouw and interview with Alan Hollinghurst. Mass for the circle at Addsicombe and I was asked to take up the gifts. Fr Keith attended the meeting in the hall and 2 new guys came along plus Beckenham and Terry. Tells me Fr Joe said the transition to Fr Keith would be a lot easier than his arrival! And who's fault was that? Sean had his home visit and did really well. Louise home.   Listened to Dvorak 8 from the Prom. LPO and Jurowski gave an interesting Russian programme with thrilling Shostakovich 11. The violin concerto no 1 of Prokofiev did not come over well.  It seems the 30 minute cutoff and noisy shoes moans at the Proms feedback meeting were dismissed. I agree a guide to promming would be a good idea as people do NOT know how to behave. A manager talked to us in the queue and got the feeling of our disco...

Liz went to Saturday's Prom of Gurrelieder and I listened on phone and at home. During the day I watched the TV Proms of Eroica and Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass and the sweet makers. We had a Milan seminarian called Manolo serving at Mass. He was in a lay group at the Duomo for 10 years.  A marathon of 3 proms. Drove to Caterham as buses replaced trains and parked at Royal Albert hall. 40 miles. I played Dad's Bishopthorpe suite and Liszt on Arcadelt's Ave Maria. The orgelbuchlein Prom was excellent at 1 p.m. and really loved the Passion selections at 3.30. Lovely St John Passion - Sophie Beavan sublime. Lucy Winkett commented on how we need to own this music as it has been taken over by professionals. Met Rita Day and Jenny Stirling.

Swam 21. 2 splendid Proms HKGruber and Hagan Hardenberger on trumpet and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Schoenberg, Dutilleux and Mahler 1. How I like a conductor who follows the composer's markings!  Reuben Thomas  you were singing? In between I picked up scores at Central music library, lunched at Cóte and visited the RGS environmental photographic exhibition and walked to the Serpentine. A wonderful talk by Eva Scholl step-sister of Anne Frank on surviving Auschwitz and what needs to be done now to combat racism and discrimination. She defended Ken Livingstone and spoke about the Palestinians. Liz slipped and graxed her elbow outside West Norwood station and I seem to have dropped my new right hand hearing aid on the bus last night. It was annoying me again and I took it out and put it in my back pocket. Parked at Kent House because of the strike but in fact our lines were unaffected as far as we could see! 

Swam 21. 2 splendid Proms HKGruber and Hagan Hardenberger on trumpet and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Schoenberg, Dutilleux and Mahler 1. How I like a conductor who follows the composer's markings!  Reuben Thomas  you were singing? In between I picked up scores at Central music library, lunched at Cóte and visited the RGS environmental photographic exhibition and walked to the Serpentine. A wonderful talk by Eva Scholl step-sister of Anne Frank on surviving Auschwitz and what needs to be done now to combat racism and discrimination. She defended Ken Livingstone and spoke about the Palestinians. Liz slipped and graxed her elbow outside West Norwood station and I seem to have dropped my new right hand hearing aid on the bus last night. It was annoying me again and I took it out and put it in my back pocket. Parked at Kent House because of the strike but in fact our lines were unaffected as far as we could see! 

Swam 21. 2 splendid Proms HKGruber and Hagan Hardenberger on trumpet and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting Schoenberg, Dutilleux and Mahler 1. How I like a conductor who follows the composer's markings!  Reuben Thomas  you were singing? In between I picked up scores at Central music library, lunched at Cóte and visited the RGS environmental photographic exhibition and walked to the Serpentine. A wonderful talk by Eva Scholl step-sister of Anne Frank on surviving Auschwitz and what needs to be done now to combat racism and discrimination. She defended Ken Livingstone and spoke about the Palestinians. Liz slipped and graxed her elbow outside West Norwood station and I seem to have dropped my new right hand hearing aid on the bus last night. It was annoying me again and I took it out and put it in my back pocket. Parked at Kent House because of the strike but in fact our lines were unaffected as far as we could see! 

A good breakfast and the hotel was busy. We left our bags and walked through the town to Priory Street. Saw ruins of St Botolph's priory the first Augustinian priory in Britain and 10.30 for Angela's funeral. Interesting to learn more about her - she sang in 16 choirs! The organist did well - the church is carpeted and the Mander is baroque and works quite well. 3 hymns. The priest knew Angela for many years. We met Lindy and Denys (did not recognise them) and we walked with them to the George in the High Street for nice reception where we met Angela's niece and enjoyed reminiscing. We then visited Colchester castle which is impressive (but no senior rate) - lovely Roman and mediaeval objects. Walked back to hotel and then on to the station to get 3.38. I went to Rachel Leach's family introduction to the Prom and Jurowski conducted LPO in Planets, Schoenberg and Scriabin Prometheus with lighting effects. It was brilliant but the audience insisted in clapping every move...

To pre Prom interview with 3 musicians from St Louis symphony orchestra who were making their Proms debut - 2 violinists and cor anglais who described their much loved concert hall and how they play with heart and do community outreach. They are well endowed. The concert was good Brahms, Beethoven played by Christian Tetzlaff, Schoenberg and Gershwin. To Acton. Wednesday all 3 of us went swimming at Fountains leisure centre, Brentford. Because it is run by Fusion we got in free. Ciarán loves the water and I did 12 lengths. To Carluccios for a nice lunch and shopping. Lovely deli in Turnham Green. To prom of "Nixon in China" conducted by John Adams himself - having some short bits of score from the workshop helped - some mistakes in the libretto in the programme. Fascinating rhythms and harmonies and stupendous singing from Gerald Finlay and Korean colouratura. Home at 11.30 and watched Married to the Moonies.

To Bow to play for 11.30 a.m. Mass. Ross has been helping there for 6 weeks and is going to seminary in a year's time! Organ small but nice so played from Elijah to match the first reading. The small choir were pretty bad - not singing right notes, not in time, adding harmonies to plainchant! Guitarist seemed competent. Was given wrong number for Alleluia! They launched into an extra hymn after communion which was not needed. Oh well offer it up! Nice to see Fr Michael again. The reader was useless. Had a bacon roll in the hall watching Olympics. Visited Bow church and had excellent homemade food at new Nunnery cafe. To prom of National Youth wind orchestra and National Youth brass band. Super Crown Imperial with organ. Virtuosic playing. To pre Prom talk on Schoenberg with BBC singer (why a soprano?) trumpet and cello. Liz came home to watch closing ceremony with Dennis - I saw Eric Idle to the end. Gurrelieder - excellent soloists and choirs did well although I would have loved ...

To Bow to play for 11.30 a.m. Mass. Ross has been helping there for 6 weeks and is going to seminary in a year's time! Organ small but nice so played from Elijah to match the first reading. The small choir were pretty bad - not singing right notes, not in time, adding harmonies to plainchant! Guitarist seemed competent. Was given wrong number for Alleluia! They launched into an extra hymn after communion which was not needed. Oh well offer it up! Nice to see Fr Michael again. The reader was useless. Had a bacon roll in the hall watching Olympics. Visited Bow church and had excellent homemade food at new Nunnery cafe. To prom of National Youth wind orchestra and National Youth brass band. Super Crown Imperial with organ. Virtuosic playing. To pre Prom talk on Schoenberg with BBC singer (why a soprano?) trumpet and cello. Liz came home to watch closing ceremony with Dennis - I saw Eric Idle to the end. Gurrelieder - excellent soloists and choirs did well although I would have loved ...

To Bow to play for 11.30 a.m. Mass. Ross has been helping there for 6 weeks and is going to seminary in a year's time! Organ small but nice so played from Elijah to match the first reading. The small choir were pretty bad - not singing right notes, not in time, adding harmonies to plainchant! Guitarist seemed competent. Was given wrong number for Alleluia! They launched into an extra hymn after communion which was not needed. Oh well offer it up! Nice to see Fr Michael again. The reader was useless. Had a bacon roll in the hall watching Olympics. Visited Bow church and had excellent homemade food at new Nunnery cafe. To prom of National Youth wind orchestra and National Youth brass band. Super Crown Imperial with organ. Virtuosic playing. To pre Prom talk on Schoenberg with BBC singer (why a soprano?) trumpet and cello. Liz came home to watch closing ceremony with Dennis - I saw Eric Idle to the end. Gurrelieder - excellent soloists and choirs did well although I would have loved ...

Monday to Battersea Park for a walk and passing Carter's steam fair with carousel. Went to branch development team meeting and had a moan about lack of staff. To the hospital after work to see Grandma and Mary Joyce. The prom was on BBC4 - interesting arrangement of Brahms Piano quintet by Schoenberg played by the Frankfurt Radio orchestra (Proms debut). Today was miserable and wet. I swam 42 lengths! The prom was again on BBC4 - Petrushka, Bernstein On the Town dances.BBC Scottish conducted by Robert Spada making his Proms debut. The Morton Rogers trip joined the orchestra to improvise Rhapsody in Blue. Not quite to my taste at times. It was full! Aren't audiences strange! When I was 14 Stravinsky visited Johannesburg on his way to the Kruger National Park. Robert Craft conducted all the concerts. Mum and Dad were invited to a civic reception as Dad was acting as mayoral organist that year! I went instead of Dad and was appalled at the way the great composer was treated. A lar...