The organist librarian

It's hot - flopped out in Tshirt and shorts watching Ben Fogle Great animal migration!  My back has been playing up despite rest. Sao Paolo symphony orchestra are doing fantastic work - makes our English orchestras educational programmes look very thin! They played really well especially the strings for Marin Alsop. Nobre, Rachmaninov and Villa-Lobos and 2 encores. Gabriela Montero played the Grieg piano concerto and improvised an encore on Land of hope and glory. She was back for the survey of Brazilian popular music with the Sao Paolo jazz Symphony orchestra and strings of Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra. We stayed until 11 and enjoyed it. Home at 12.20.

Swam and to Scratchley hall - blood pressure and pulse low and in ideal position 23 re weight and height! Met Liz Ellis in Peter Jones and saw Fred Irvine. Lovely Cadogan hall prom with 12 cellos. Great soprano but high C not in score and where were the glissandi? Had a good view but sketching cellists not easy! To Georgia O'Keefe at Tate modern - too many people but did get to flr 10 and 8 this time despite the inadequate lifts!  A fascinating pre-Prom discussion on male grooming and beards! Sparkling Prom from Glyndebourne The Barber of Seville - great singing and very funny!

To pre prom intro to the concert with Rachel Leach and RPO members plus lots of youngsters from RCM and others. RPO conducted by Charles Dutoit Delius Paris, Saint-Saens 2 played by Benjamin Grosvenor (now 20) and Tchaik 5. Liz missed it as she took her computer to Westfield about the battery - problem not solved. Had an ice cream when I got to Acton. Wed Assumption to mass at Acton. Priest adding to the canon, prayers before the Creed! A singer and organ in awful Victorian hymns to Mary including at communion. How one loves the Irish - they can be so stupid about liturgy. Come dine with me. It was a bit wet but we did take Ciarán for an ice cream and a kick around in the park. To pre prom discussion with Marin Alsop, director of Sao Paolo orchestra and Cathy Graham head of music at British council. 61% of audience in Sao Paolo do not pay and 100,000 children go to the concert hall each year with proper preparation. I did not get a reply to how many go in London - I suspect only the po...