The organist librarian

Swam, mass and coffee and took some of Fr Stuart's castoff books. Returned scores to Central Music library. To quiet day with Sister Agatha from Sisters of Mercy, Bermondsey. Surprisingly she left at 2.40! At lunchtime heard part of Nigel Groome's recital at St Matthew Westminster - he was replacing Travis Baker. Heard some of the War Requiem rehearsal in the cathedral - boys and soloists excellent. Bach choir did not impress - poor leads. Some of the choir could not see because of tall people in front of them! David Hill has a grey beard which does nothing for him. Saw Martin Baker. Came home as Liz had returned from school unhappy. 

After swim and Mass I finally got to Halfords to get a new interior light bulb. They do not take out interior lenses as they easily break but they lent me a plastic prong and I got it out. I then realised I was in the back and the childlocks were on so had to climb over into the front seat. It must have looked very funny. They did not have the bulb but the scrapyard across the road did! Let there be light!  David Hill played brilliantly and musically at St Michael Cornhill. The Bach was the last piece my Dad played before he had the second stroke fantasia on Komm heiliger Geist, Willan, Karg-Elert and Francis Jackson.The Jackson was his doctorate piece and it is very fine. To Guildhall gallery to see Nature morte and Barbican music library to see Sir Simon Rattle exhibition.  Thanks to  Jonathan Rennert  for telling us about Monday choral evensong at 6 at St Michael Cornhill I enjoyed the Howells and Bainton. Well done tenors! The sermon was rather good. Do we reall...

Swam 20. Bruce here. Dulwich picture gallery has a lovely exhibition of Adrian Van der Welde and an intriguing Is this Rembrandt? To BBC singers conducted by David Hill at St Paul Knightsbridge and free. Bramma, Sanders, Bielby and Colin Mawby good to see him there. Best of all premiere of Requiem by Philip Moore. Stephen Farr played superbly. Lots of emails.

Super Rossini Messe solennelle Prom at Greenwich conducted by David Hill. Had a good chat to the wife of the bass David Platt who is off to La Scala. Fr Brian and Fr Chris at Mass.   Watching live on BBC Iplayer the National youth orchestra playing The Planets -fab! Edward Gardner conducting. Liz at the concert. Heard Also sprach in the car. 

To Balham and Central music library to get the alst of the Proms scores. To Streatham to see audiologist - it seems left hearing aid was missing the little ventilation piece and right ear has wax hence the whistling. Pre-Prom introduction was quite good involving the kids (not many there) but she did not really tell us much about the Leifs apart from it being very loud and the Ahlborg. Sibelius Tapiola at the Prom followed by awful Leifs organ concerto played by Stephen Farr - devoid of any musical ideas and far too loud unrelentingly so! A quiet modern encore did not impress either! There are so many good unplayed organ concertos - why did we have to suffer this?  Delightful light night Bach Prom conducted by David Hill - Mass in G minor, Brandenburg 2 and Magnificat in D. Home at 12.45. Iestyn Davies, Nicky Spence, Sophie Beavan and Roderick Williams. I listened to Brandenburg 5 and part of the violin suites on TV. 

To Balham and Central music library to get the alst of the Proms scores. To Streatham to see audiologist - it seems left hearing aid was missing the little ventilation piece and right ear has wax hence the whistling. Pre-Prom introduction was quite good involving the kids (not many there) but she did not really tell us much about the Leifs apart from it being very loud and the Ahlborg. Sibelius Tapiola at the Prom followed by awful Leifs organ concerto played by Stephen Farr - devoid of any musical ideas and far too loud unrelentingly so! A quiet modern encore did not impress either! There are so many good unplayed organ concertos - why did we have to suffer this?  Delightful light night Bach Prom conducted by David Hill - Mass in G minor, Brandenburg 2 and Magnificat in D. Home at 12.45. Iestyn Davies, Nicky Spence, Sophie Beavan and Roderick Williams. I listened to Brandenburg 5 and part of the violin suites on TV. 

I was at the hall by 4.30 and an excellent talk on Job with Ceri Owen. Once again the lift played up so ended up beyond lift 8. Liz decided not to come as she was late leaving and missed a train. Wonderful Alwyn Symphony No 1 in D, BBC SO conducted by Sakari Oramo in Wasps overture, Lark ascending with Janine Jansen and Job - great bit where full organ comes in - love it! There was far too mcuh loud coughing. Home to hear the late night Prom of Steve Reich conducted by David Hill.

Tuesday swam 20. To King's college hospital and X-ray and dentist advised a denture to fill gaps at top on both sides. Anythign else would be a waste of money! I was seen quickly. To talk on Bruckner - my question to the current organist of St Florian never got asked - do they have Bruckner's scores anf annotations to Bach and any comments on the the Albert Hall organ? Beethoven and Bruckner 4th well played by Petrenko and Oslo philharmonic. Lat night prom David Hill conducting Boy was born and George Lloyd requiem. To Acton and there by midnight. Wed had a lie-in. Ciaran's friend came to play and I took Sean to the park for a coffee. I also looked after him in the afternoon and he was good as gold! To swimming but the class was too big and Ciaran not happy although he is very confident in the water. To pre Prom meeting with Roger Wright, Petroc and Chris Cotton. I got to ask my question about better lighting in the gallery (agreed!) seating fixed down and asking people to...

Finished at court at 4.30 so home and had dinner and watched Julia Bradbury doing canal walk in Wales. Listened to a bit of Michael Berkeley on hearing loss. To the cathedral for Gillian Weir's final recital. Splendid playing and a good audience - Demessieux, Bach, Franck, Martin, Willan and Mulet. Standing ovation and she walked the length of the cathedral and into the pulpit with flowers from Madeleine. Even Marie-Claire Alain didn't go in the pulpit! A memorable evening. Nice to see David Hill there. Met Liz at the end - she had been at RCIA with Michael Dunne. Watched The Hour on return home.

Played at the Ascension Lavender Hill - very High church, birettas but very friendly and all went well. A Johannus replaces old pipe organ. They use new Missal! 4 baptisms. Home for lunch of ham. First prom David Hill conducting Bob Chilcott's Angry planet - 600 a capella including schoolchildren. Lots of noises from children in audience and a very small Prom. Ben Parry's Flame was most effective. Bach choir, National youth choir, BBC singers. To Matthew Rowe's introduction to the second prom and Liz came. BBC Scottish and Scottish youth orchestra conducted by Runnicles. MacMillan, Wagner, Bruch (Nicola Benedetti) Strauss, Musgrave and Respighi.

To Coulsdon to play 3 hymns at a wedding. String trio largely talked over by congregation. CD to come in - Beatles instrumental but the real insult was a CD of Mendelssohn Wedding march played on an organ to exit. Keep music live! Violinist from Norwich university music dept not impressed. Practised a bit on piano. Liz was singing at a wedding at St John's as part of a quartet. On radio prom conducted by David of Tippett and Taverner. To pre-Prom literary event. Tasmin Little choosing Shakespeare, Hesse (just like Matthew Barley) Hilaire Belloc and something called Hungarian Dances. She looks and sounds fantastic - her father was an actor. Liz arrived just in time for Prom. Cockaigne overture, London premiere of Michael Berkeley's organ concerto, Rachmaninov Variations on a theme of Paganini (with score) and Kodaly Hary Janos suite (with score). A delightful concert and we went to Late event in Elgar room - wish we had known this was so good as we would have gone to more. Dran...

To Coulsdon to discuss Nov music with Vickie who is very comfortable at 99a St Andrew's Road while the vicarage is rebuilt. She is quite relaxed about me going free lance. To St Michael's for Richard Cook's recital. Franck Chorale 3, Stanley and Jongen Sonata Eroica. He played well. Evensong from Tewkesbury featured Ascribe unto the Lord. To St Mary le Bow where I met Liz who had been in Bow and Spitalfields. Lord Gummer spoke without notes on social justice and it was most interesting. To the cathedral for David Hill's recital - Howells, Willan, Franck, Roger-Ducasse, Gardonyi, JSB - a varied programme. To Jugged Hare for drinks with Richard Cook, Stephen Disley and his Dad, Adrian and Carl. Today finished at 6 and watched The Apprentice as no internet downstairs for some reason. Liz went to chorus to take Stefan a letter.

Maundy Thursday arrived at church to find Vincent Coggin had been and disconnected the flute but was unable to tune as he had no assistant in Holy Week - a lot of use! I used the piano for some of it as we sat in the transept. Vickie washed feet for the first time and we sang "To mock your reign". Psalm 22 went well at the end. Liz was at the cathedral. Good Friday Liz left the car at Victoria for me as she attended the liturgy. I got the train at King's Cross and had a quiet time after the rehearsal. Had a simple lunch at M & S and saw the end of the procession outside King's. Went to evensong at King's with the men only - plain chant and a 3 part motet. The performance went really well and the composer was most complimentary - I never got to speak to him. Jean and her friend accompanied me on the train home - a fleet of taxis got us to the station in good time. What a wonderful work it is! Saturday I was working but I did hear bits of the broadcast and it so...

On Wednesday I took it easy and finished reading Michael Palin's excellent "New Europe". I also went to the dentist again and Judy did the root flling. I didn't go the cathedral spirituality day or my Sharing in his life group or the servers Guild dinner but Liz did. She also went to the presentation of Guild of Church Musicians awards by the Cardinal in the Lady chapel and she served at that. Alas I missed meeting Desmond Tutu!!! Grrrrr! Always wanted to meet him! Alison Stimpson got her ACertCM. Actually had I been there I would nto have gone to tea as I would have had my group meeting any way. Such is life! Thursday to my health check and all is well. Same South African lady doctor I saw last year and she said I was OK. Then to the church to find Last Post and Reveille copy for Remembrance Sunday which turned out to be under Blair, Hugh! Practised that and the other pieces. Then to Stationers Hall for the Chorus 50th anniversary reception as by then I was feeling b...

At St Andrew's we sang "Mass for Hilary" by Richard Jones who is now Jo Richards. It worked well to transpose the Sanctus down a tone to G minor. The anthem was "O Lord increase our faith" by Henry Loosemore which echoed today's gospel from Luke. Hymns included "Let all mortal flesh", "Dear Lord and Father of mankind" and "Now thank we all our God" so I ended with Flor Peeters' fine prelude on "Nun Danket". As the Refresh service was on I came home rather than waiting to practise and produced a report on Friday's choir meeting. We had a taste of Morocco for lunch. I hoovered and washed the kitchen floor. Choral evensong last Sunday was from Westminster Abbey and this week from Lichfield featuring Stanford in G and Howells Paean. The Classic FM 15th anniversary concert sounded good despite a boomy echo effect - the BBC does these broadcasts from the Albert Hall with closer miking I think to avoid this. The Verdi...