The organist librarian

An enjoyable Father's day. Early start as the train was replaced by a bus from Purley to Caterham so attended 8am BCP communion. Have not experienced that for years! Took refuge in the National Portrait gallery and National gallery as the West End shows inTrafalgar Square were very noisy. Enjoyed Tristan at ENO - Edward Gardner conducted and the orchestra were stunning. Stuart Skelton and Matthew Rose shone out. The set by Amish Kapoor was odd. Nice lady next to me a very keen opera fan. To St James Piccadilly for the first ever iftar there organised by City Circle. Sadiq Khan spoke well about Jo Cox and housing in London.  Played Bertalot on Repton,  George Thalben-Ball  on Gwalchmai and Thiman's Postlude on Harwood's Thornbury

Tuesday did not swim and had a lie-in - miserable weather. Completed 2 paintings while watching CBeebies Prom - saw Mia and listened to Prom of Kiss me Kate which was excellent. To talk on Brahms. Budapest Festival orchestra under Ivan Fischer played Brahms 3 and 4 superbly. Saw Peter Stevens. The late Prom was Gardiner conducting Missa Solemnis with Monteverdi choir and period instruments. Some of it was far too fast, one generally got the feeling the pros had no idea what they were singing about. What soft passages we got were not expressivo at all. The soprano solosit was squally and the bass (Matthew Rose) sounded angry and a bit like Pizzarro. Tenor and alto soloists were fine. Met Revd Michael Bourdeaux on the bus briefly and got a taxi from East Acton. Wednesday took the boys o the Osterley Park trail and they enjoyed the logs and den and swings. To the garden centre for lunch and soft play. Tom came home early so we got bus and tube to Liverpool street in good time for the 7 ...

To St Chad's to play for Mary's funeral. There was a good turnout and the grandchildren all did well. The first thing was to find the new on/off switch which is inside the organ! The blocks I left there years ago to raise the stool had gone! All went reasonably well. We took Josie to Beckenham crematorium where we had Irish recordings and then to the Surprise for a very pleasant lunch and met lots of Addiscombe and South Norwood folk. To the pre Prom talk by Matthew Rowe on the B minor Mass, Harry Bicket's professional chorus were almost unrelentingly LOUD. Soloists were good especially Matthew Rose and Iestyn Davies the countertenor.