Friday 3rd
Have been rehearsing a lot this week for the fundraising chamber music gig in the picture gallery. Group session with Tom sorts out the last 'feinheiten' on the Gabrieli, which sounds very good now.
Brass Quintet is first however, but unfortunately it is so hot in the gallery, and the audience is SO close that it affects my playing. Also, the aucoustics are so dry compared to the boomy Woodlands rooms that you get a bit of a complex about how you sound. Apart from a wrong entry in the Handel 
and no solo in 'Aint Misbehavin' it runs quite well.
Ironically I'm much happier with the Trombone 4-tet's performance, possibly because we know the pieces so much better. The Gabrieli has nice rubato and dynamic contrast and even when Christina plays one beat too soon we cover it well! After the applause the plan was to bow, then for Dave R to count us in for the surprise number 'James Bond Theme' - Tina somehow came in totally solo with the first emphatic quavers, which provided plenty of laughs for the rest of the evening!! 
Party afterwards at Dave's, Harvey sings to Monty Python, me and Jem official tell Cathy 
that my blazer rules and Goddard plays Bach at full volume!