The organist librarian

To Riverside Winds delightful concert at St John Upper Norwood. A remarkable flute solo "The great train ride" and Rimsky-Korsakov piano and wind quintet. Served at Malta Day Mass with Cardinal Grech. It was chaotic! The French boys were back at Mass - 16 servers!! Callum Alger has started - welcome! The Prom tonight is Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven. Watched Sir Simon Rattle conducting Belshazzar's Feast, Koechlin and Varese.Played Elgar Chanson de Matin. Pomp and circumstance No. 1. We sang David Ogden Christ has no body which reminds me of Audrey Kempson whose funeral I played for. 3 in choir and Revd Sarah Goatcher gave a good sermon and had liaised with junior church as they were looking at Onesimus and modern slavery. Loved the prom BBC So with Sakari Oramo. Sibelius 5 which I love, Andriessen, Judith Weir, Night on a bare mountain. New respect for Canterbury Philharmonia tackling this work so well with many tempo changes although Sakari was faster! Have really enjo...

To the funeral of Eileen Haines at Sanderstead with Canon Jim Pannett. He remarked that I should have played. I had offered but the family decided not to change the arrangements. It sounded like a feeble instrument. Gerry apologised at the reception. Gill was there. News of the passing of Laurence Jones aged 90.  A most enjoyable prom from BBCSO and Sakari. Sibelius, Saint-Saens piano concerto no. 2 with brilliant pianist and Elgar 3. Boys spent the day relaxing and I finished 2 books.  Enjoying Halle prom Dvorak New World effective use of 4 actors and films. Mark Elder on great form. 

I just thought of a word Mum used to use if she could not remember what something was called. Something like oojacapivvy.  Underwhelmed by Matisse at RA and a lot of people there including Dame Monica Mason. The Tudor portraits at the Royal Society of Antiquaries very fine especially Mary Tudor and Edward VI's hair and coronation procession.  Sakari Oramo conducted Mahler 2 with ponderous slow final movement. Where were the deep basses? Unimpressed by flutes and mezzo soloist. Good to see film of Gilbert Kaplan conducting it. Still have the page of score he gave all performers in 2005.

Turned out wet. Got parked near Nat History museum in good time for rehearsal which went very smoothly. Back to door 2 and interviewed by the Telegraph about the flags dispute.   We went to the recording of The Choir about Parry's Jerusalem  and I met David Owen Norris in the street and complimented hom in his famous chords on Proms Extra! Full marks to Petroc on Radio 3 for mentioning that we are gallery prommers! As Auntie Flo said it was a once in a lifetime experience and we really enjoyed it! What a wonderful concert - full of lovely music. Florez was superb and brilliant acting. Great to see 16 young singers in Serenade to Music (definitely a desert island piece and we recently saw the score and photos at Leith Hill Place where RVW grew up). Thank you to all our fellow Prommers in the gallery (which alas Katie dd not mention but Sakari did) and to all the staff at the Hall. Linda came up specially to say hello. How proud Mum and Dad would have been - they are comparing ...

Trains replaced by buses from Purley. For the Assumption played Ave Marias by Bach/Gounod and Schubert and Vernon Griffiths on Maria zu leben. We had a procession and we sang Lourdes Gloria and Gathering Mass which went really well, Simon Lindley's lovely Ave Maria. Dandrieu on Ave maris stella. Drinks in the vicarage garden and we had lunch in our garden.  An interesting interview with Charlotte Bray and we heard 3 chamber works which I rather preferred to her new cello concerto. At last a Haydn symphony played by BBC SO conduted by Oramo and a fine Mahler 5.

Left early but held up on buses - result did not get into In tune at Imperial College and listened to it on third floor on headphones. Stuart Skelton sang well. Annoying as have been trying for 4 years to get tickets and finally succeeded. Good to see folk again, A fine concert of French national anthem, Tchaik R and J, Elgar cello concerto and lovelt encore by Falks, Nevksy - basses rough.

Interesting discussion of Kullervo. Earlier today I listened to the Boston SO's Shostakovich and Mahler - marvellous! The Sibelius Prom conducted by Oramo was great. En Saga and Kullervo (a large 4 volume score) with stunning singing from Polytechnik choir from Finland. 

Swam 20. To Bromley library and Marks for mints and WHSmith for torch batteries. Liz went to Sr Audrey's funeral in Salford. John enjoyed Measure for measure at the Globe and the first night of the Proms was a joy especially the Mozart and Sibelius. Belshazzar well done! Sat with Marilyn and Adrian - nice to see everyone again. 

Got up early and prepared hats for Last night. 9 a.m. minibus to Rochester and there in an hour - 11 of us and nice chat to Ann and went for coffee with them  We sat together in centre nave so had a good view. 12 ordained deacon and did see Stephen briefly at the start and the peace and during communion which went on for ever. 2 hours service and the voluntary choir did well with Kelly and Sumsion. There was one naff worship song where the key changed mid verse and it just sounded wrong! Glad I went and met Father Christopher Paul's predecessor who is now at St Alban's Holborn. Visited the castle and Eastgate house - just missed a train but got to the hall around 3.30. Liz was at Malta Mass. Clearly no need to queue all day as we got our seats and were on the rail for the second half. Sakari did very well although he did not mention the gallery prommers in his speech! The Strauss Taillefer was interesting and lovely playing from Janine Jansen and Roderick Williams was great! ...

Woke at 6 so caught up on Proms talks on Dylan Thomas, Janet Suzman on Taming of the shrew nd Ravel's home. Put up the new CD rack in the study after assembly and ordered picture frames. Used the Gerard Hulme picture frame for the bottles and it looks good. Watched the Butterworth and RVW Prom - Roderick Williams has amazing expression and diction. To vespers (3 new priests) and Mass with Fr John third Saturday in a row because he and Alexander on the only priests who can sing the Mass at the moment. He takes longer over the offertory and sermon. Amazingly we just got to the Prom in time and seats as well. BBCSO conducted by Oramo with his wife Anu Komsi hitting the very high notes in Szymanowski and Tiensuu. Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov. Parked at West Norwood becasue of the football and home at 11.15.

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.

Swam 20. Cleaned the floor and found at least 20 dead flies - yuk! Bruce on Skype. To Cadogan Hall for 1 p.m. prom - good seats. Janine Jansen and Sakari Oramo playing Prokofiev and Schubert with Itamar Golan who I thought could have had more pp. The encore was Shostakovich. None of the composers in typical mode! The 2 violins were most effective. To Central Music library where I returned by mistake the Strauss Burleske score need for the evening concert (and after all that trouble!) Still I got 4 more scores I wanted. Roast dinner at cathedral kitchen and acolyte when the body of Fr Michael was received. Vespers of the dead was simple and moving. Good to see Nick and Stephen from the choir there and lots of friends. To Prom (thunderstorm and hail) BBC National orchestra of Wales conducted by Thomas Sondergárd. Strauss, Mozart and Nielsen 5 in which the side drum player walked past us in the gallery. Francesco Piemontesi was the pianist. Home by 11.