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.

Up early and to XRay at Mayday - first in at 8 a.m. The chaplaincy has moved to a new office opposite the chapel which is a lovely space. Swam  20. Spoke to Ann but the line was poor on Skype - she was n a cafe in Plettenberg Bay. Watched Bake off and All together now - series on amateur orchestras.  The feedback session about the Proms was as annoying as ever. Cotton is due to retire and a good thing too! Only two of my points were addressed - taking off footwear in the gallery including the staff and filming during the music. Both were fobbed off. The problems of queue jumping were not addressed either. David Pickard did impress! I spoke to Petroc and thanked him.  Verdi requiem and on TV. Soprano excellent. Unimpressed by the bass. I thought the young tenors were forcing and trying too hard. Excellent young sound from the yooung ladies and deep basses! So a bit of a curate's egg. Not as moved as one should be! Good to see John East and Adrian provided some lovely choc...

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.

A good day at the Christian Muslim forum event at London interfaith centre and Islamic Centre England - good speakers including Chris Hewer and Damian Howard and an excellent lunch. Left before the end to get to singalong and Last night of the Proms. Jonas Kaufmann was amazing and the whole concert was very good. Nice party afterwards outside door 2. Great that Dennis Woodhouse came.

Stunning Othello from RSC at Picturehouse Greenwich. What acting and direction and staging using water! Amazing and very moving.Having black actors playing Iago and Othello gave the play the whole new dimension.  Great Brahms Prom from OAE and Marin Alsop. Jamie Barton brought back happy memories of performing Alto rhapsody or rather going sick before the performance - that work seemed to jinx me! Interesting discussion about Brahms. I believe Britten disliked his music and influence. Lovly walk at Osterley with the boys.  Sean to Ciaran on high swing "Be very very careful Ciaran!" This from Mr Try anything himself!  The talk on the LSE was interesting and my question was well answered. It seems Harold Laski was very highly regarded by the Congress party members,  Messiaen at the Prom quite bearable, fine Mozart concerto 27 but what was that wierd encore? Bruckner 7! The encore was Shostakovich!

Lie-in and no swim - still coughing and cold. Long chat to Ann. To art and worked on badge and lilies. To talk on saxophones with Tim McAllister who was soloist in the John Adams which was very disappointing. However Marin Alsop was given honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic society and conducted Mahler 1 as in the score (had full score). Liz to Acton and I came home and watched part of the prom again. The Borusan Istanbul philharmonic conductor is great - he uses his cuffs! 

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 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...

The chorus took part in the 3rd section of the gala opening concert singing Beethoven's 9th 4th movement conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi. The sound was trememendous and everyone said how marvellous it was. The London Philharmonic choir sang a new work by Julian Anderson "Alleluia". The programme was heavily weighted towards the modern. The Beethoven was preceeded by Ligeti's Atmospheres which included the brushing of a grand piano's strings (well they needed cleaning). Marin Alsop conducted 4 orchestras in Ravel's Bolero - it was amazing! The concert is on the BBC website for a week. Strangely it was not broadcast live nor did the Queen come. The Duke of Kent was there and so was Ken Livingstone. The audience had paid £100, £300 and £500 for a seat so it was mostly bankers and the like. At the champagne reception in the ballroom, I spoke to James O'Donnell (Westminster Abbey) and saw Janet Street-Porter and Alan Yentob from BBCTV but the great musical...