The organist librarian

A good day in the school library clearing up the mess and listening to the Last Night of the Proms (TV version). A great concert! Now catching up on the TV versions of the Marin Alsop and Edward Gardner concerts. RVW Dona nobis pacem a great work unjustly neglected. Sophie Bevan like an angel. Watchedprogramme on Princess Margaret and Great British bakeoff. Thursday to Mass and Noel came to the car to ask about the trip. To Dr Ojo for ear clearing and checked wrist and said nothing broken. I fell over in Glyn Close. 

Up early so to the hall - redcoat made us stand in a line! Cadogan for tickets - we were on the back row?? The National Army museum is free and splendid. I spent some time in the Army and Society section. The Special services exhibition a bit disappointing - the black walls and plastic flap screens are confusing. All a tad depressing. I cheered up with a fruit tart at Peter Jones with Marilyn! She had been to Vanessa at Glyndebourne. Have been to G twice for our silver wedding and Magic flute on the day we won the London Olympics. Black tie and champers! Now that's an idea for next summer! A delightful Cadogan prom from Wallis Giunta amazing to watch! Tribute to Lennie. Marin Alsop conducted Baltimore Symphony orchestra in Bernstein and Shostakovich 5. Brilliant but I was tired. Saw Lawrence briefly, the Sopers and Brother John.

I played Dad's Bishopthorpe suite, Adagietto from Mahler Symphony No. 5, Elgar Ave verum, Richard Knight on Duke Street and 2 short interludes to cover to and from the font for the baptism. Service was rather long. The congregation seemed reluctant to leave perhaps because of the rain. At the offertory the hymn was announced so I started then was asked to start again!? Speak O Lord. That has to be a first although once at a wedding the priest cut On eagle's wings after the first verse. At communion I did not hear much singing in Be thou my vision but One more step at the end was obviously known. I look forward to getting hearing aid mould 2 on Tuesday. Relying on one ear is not great and the loop seemed indistinct - perhaps the lapel mike was too low down? Also if the celebrant adds in comments it means you have to listen hard! The Tablet has an interesting article on the art works at Lichfield cathedral where Ian Knowles and his team are creating a beautiful crucifix. Heard ...

Returned scores to Westminster. I love the cafe at the Estorick delicious custard tart and cappuccino. The Campari exhibition is rather fun. Did a sketch. A most enjoyable Bernstein workshop with Ed Price and BBC singers including Emma Tring. On the town, his warmup and West Side Story. To Design museum for Alaia fashion design. I don't normally go to fashion designer shows but his sense of line is great. Edward Seckerson fascinating radio 3 interval talk on On the town. Very struck by the dynamic and rhythmic subtlety of Bernstein's scores. A great prom Bernstein On the town. John Wilson does it again!

Cleaned the white plastic window surrounds and porch and back windows. Cleaned up the patio. To the wedding at Addiscombe of Clare Kingman and Anthony Longhurst - it was lovely! To Dave West's 60th birthday party - lovely house and garden. The Prom of West Side Story was great. Packed. Good talk.  Brilliant tenor and soprano and John Wilson at his best. Liz went to the party after the cathedral Mass.

Swam, Mass. To St George's Beckenham Colin Andrews Indiana University. Piece heroique at a steady pace. Bach Passacaglia big pedal Reed nearly throughout tended to obliterate the manuals and tiring on the ear too which was a shame as he plays really well. Bonnet Variations de concert a great showpiece. After delicious lunch at home returned scores to Balham and went to the Foundling museum to see Joyce Carey's Sea. Had I known this was 3 sculptures I doubt if I would have bothered. It always worries me when an artist has to explain the works. Fascinating discussion with Salley Vickers on chaos and prophecy. Pappano conducted Haydn leading into Bernstein Jeremiah symphony and Mahler 1. Excellent. Met Bella and Mink Bex.

Tree surgeon came, mosaic and a super Cadogan prom with Dame Sarah Connolly. You could hear a pin drop! Played the organ at St Mary Cadogan Street. It is a basic 6 rank 1964 Walker and such a fine large church deserves something bigger and better. No reed or strings. No swell to great. Crescendo pedal. Excellent lunch at Cote Sloane Square calimari, seafood linguini, peach crumble with ice cream. Looked at hats in Peter Jones. I would not pay £40 or £119 for a hat! Talk on Ives Symphony no. 2. Prom 1 tonight Candide overture, Gershwin piano concerto and Ives which I slept through. Minnesota orchestra. Prom no. 2 the amazing Aurora orchestra Shostakovich piano concerto no. 2 and symphony no. 9 from memory. Could not follow scores as lights turned off. Now on bus to Battersea Park to pick up car. Home 12.45.

Many thanks to Simon Surtees for recommending Waiting for the last bus by Richard Holloway. Fascinating and lived the poetry. Good to chat to Ann Lennox on Saturday and Bruce Woodhouse today. We went to Greenwich picturehouse to see the encore of ROH Bernstein centenary which we really enjoyed. The first ballet was Chichester Psalms which brought back memories of Daniel French's extraordinary ordination. The second The Age of anxiety and the third Corybatic games was very inventive. What marvellous dancers and choreography. Hilarious Dave Allen programmes, repair shop

No bells Patronal Feast St John. Played Bach prelude for New Year, Gordon Phillips The holly and the ivy, Le Beque Noel Pier nobis and John Cook Paean on Divinum mysterium for which I got some applause! I walked to Norwood Junction as there was a match and got buses back as train was cancelled.  To East Dulwich playhouse to see the Berlin Philharmonic New Year concert live which will be Sir Simon Rattle's last. An enjoyable programme with Joyce Didonato singing Strauss and Bernstein superbly although subtitles would have been helpful. Dvorak, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Bernstein and Brahms. Great to see Sue Carroll there - we missed this last year as we were flying to Singapore. Enjoyed 2 hours of Victoria.

Played poco adagio and Finale from organ symphony of Saint-Saens. Have been trying some Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Bruch and The Swan. Not sure I would play the latter at a service and some interesting Face Book comments about that.  Mass at St Mary's much better without Fr Michael rabbiting on. But the priest never introduced himself  and spoke about who Jesus is!  Just listening to the repeat of Christiane Karg Cadogan Hall prom - glorious voice but the diction is not great. Heard the rest of the Peckham garage prom including Bantock and Whitley.  Nearly gave the prom tonight a miss as lunch in the garden was so pleasant but glad we went for the Cincinatti SO Prom debut in Bernstein, Copland and Tchaikovsky 5. Brass in stunning form, great strings. I think they loved playing that music at the Prom! Interesting talk on Lincoln. Wierd journey home 452 tube and fast to Selhurst which said it was not stopping there but it did! What Tchaikovsky say to two young men kiss...

 A dreadful night. Could not get comfortable left knee. In the end sat on edge of bed and rubbed knee for ages then slept on left side at 1 a.m. Liz booked assistance for the whole trip and checked in. Family took cases and Bruce to Acton. Ciaran lost a tooth. Ann's poles arrived minute later and new adapter for Oz. To St John's for big funeral of Riccardo who died in July. Sang Wood in Phrygian mode and Caesar Soul of my saviour. Also As the deer and Lord of the dance. Card to Ann Marie and booked physio for tomorrow at Mottingham. Saw photos of scan of the bump. Bit shivery. Huge amount of recycling paper and landfill, 2 food pails.Watched Christmas factory and a bit of West Side story. Fr John's homily was outstanding and from the heart. Listened to Westminster Abbey midnight mass = great sermon and singing. Watched The Ballroom boys, Life in the snow and drama about at the Brontes.

Back to the pool this morning and to art, also returned library scores to Penge and Westminster.  Finally visited Carlyle's home in Chelsea - need more time there!  B Tommy Andersson portrait very pleasant and liked Pan with David Goode on the organ at the Prom. Nielsen and Mahler 4.  Bravo Alice Coote and Handel prom. Louise and Tom off to Madrid for the weekend on Friday.  A great day at Kew and we both walked a lot. Can't say the tree walkway impressed but playground, Palm house and waterlilies were great. Lunch good but pricey! Liz gone to Prom and I am listening to Shostakovich now boys are asleep! I had some red wine and was sick at 3 a.m. Saturday to Gallery Prommers picnic.    Ciaran very unimpressed that he was not going into the hall! We had a good time at Diana playground!  Bus to Acton and Liz went to the first half of the Bernstein Prom and came back so I could go to hear Yo Yo Ma play Bach. I got home at 12.39. Thought Ciaran looked a ...

Swam 20 and we both went. Started elephant mosaic as we could not decide on the corners of the border! Qi gung and meditation. To West London synangogue for a moving service including Peter Tatchell and lovely singing. Great to see Michael Redman, Jon dal Din and the nuns. Sat with Stefan Byron. Briefly met Mrs Gryn. The concert by the London International orchestra was good with lovely singing. Most moving was the Schindler's list theme and Nimrod at the end. Lady next to me impressed by my sketching. First woman bishop consecrated in York Minster. 

Friday took Liz to St John's for 9 a.m. in pouring rain for Walsingham pilgrimage until Sunday. Servers pilgrimage is tomorrow. To Streatham medical centre and saw very nice Indian audiologist. He said right ear is bad and worse so I am to have new Siemens aids on October 1st. Left is also poor. No wonder Liz has to repeat everything! To hall for 2.30 p.m. and got queue number ticket No. 11 for Last night at 4. To Royal Academy to revisit Richard Rodgers exhibition which is most interesting. On way back bought sandwich and tea at Pret - alas the tea leaked and the bottom of the paper bag collapsed - result tea all over bus floor! To Pre Prom Poetry competition results - most interesting. At the Prom we had Bach played by Klaus Sonnleitner who is organist at Linz where Bruckner played. His approach was more Baroque than Romantic. His encore was very quiet! Vienna Phil and Maazel played Bruckner 8 beautifully but somehow it was not as impressive as the 4th the other evening. Saturd...

To Bromley to return some scores and attend Gary Sieling's recital at the parish church of Fantasias and Fugues by Parry, Bach and Liszt - very fine playing. He remarked that the programme was like Bank Holiday weather i.e. stormy and sunny. Stanley Vann encore. He also said that as the programme had spelt his name wrongly he reserved the right to play the notes in the wrong order! Ken Baker was there. After lunch I went to the Family prom. Why do people not remove noisy small children? The Delius was ruined by screaming kids, Falla, Dvorak, Rodrigo. Second half Proms family orchestra and chorus did really well and Blind Boys of Alabama sang gospel with audience clapping along.Northern Sinfonia played well. To pre Prom discussion on lyric writing with Don Black - Clive James did not show so a charming singer stepped in called Barbara. The Broadway prom with John Wilson was terrific including Rodgers, Kern, Porter, Gershwin and Bernstein. We left before the last number. I told a man...

To pre Prom talk about Atwood's Handmaid's tale with Kate Adie - most interesting. The Prom was Bernstein's Mass and totally OTT. Never one to shirk extremes Bernstein approached the Mass from a Jewish viewpoint but also questioning and poking fun too. The soloists were excellent especially the boy (shades of the barmitzvah?) I spent much of the time on the rail and was glad I bought a programme. Well done the Welsh!

Morning service went OK and I practised. I had a long chat to Barry Stronge -his wife has goine into a care home. Visited Grandma and took Louise to the station. Dropped off wedding music at Adrian's and sent out the music list. Evensong was from St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. Wrote provincial councillor's report. Watched on BBC4 an amazing prom by the Simon Bolivar youth orchestra of Venezuela. Shostakovich 10, Bernstein and Latin American dances played with such gusto and intensity. Most impressed by the 26 year old conductor who spoke of humility!

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...