1977

1977 I played for several Masses at St Chad's. Ross Hickling was a great support whereas Fr Farmer always wanted his tempo! He did know composer so we sang Douglas Mews settings among others. Because Dad was a steward at the Albert Hall we went to quite a lot of concerts. Feb 1977 I was going for interviews - Mr Kirby was awful at interviews. Jane Allen got the promotion. I record how nice Mike Cornford was to me. Simon Johnson rehearsed Messiah with the chorus. We did Alexander Nevsky with Muti - Prokofiev suited him well. Mum and Dad again came to Barcelona on the chorus trip with Balatsch. Messiah and I got Norma Burrowes to sign my score - Liz always did this but I was a bit shy of doing it. She was just heavenly. B minor Mass with Andrew Pritchard.
I should have mentioned Liz's aunt K who was very fond of her. We would get invited to her parties. She lived on the first floor at 99 Oxford Gardens and the Poles Janka and Gennik were on the ground floor. In May we sang the Schubert Mass in E flat with the London Mozart players at the Festival Hall conducted by Harry Blech. Sang at Chichester with Martin How and Missa solemnis in Bristol with Mackerras. Fine flower festival at Westminster Cathedral. Martin How got us into the Addington Palace madrigal singers for the Addington Palace garden party and this later became the Nicholson Singers so we were there from the beginning! I can never forget Martin playing Brahms and the piano moving across the great hall floor but he just carried on!
I have a charming postcard from Jim in Heidelberg. He sang in the chorus and was a gifted repetiteur and conductor from the States. He says he saw us last month so he must have come to a concert in Dusseldorf or Cologne.