Have my hair cut before 9.30 at Whiteleys. Revise my Variations until 11.0. Practise 11.0–12.0 Go to College to do make various business arrangements, & have lesson with Benjamin 12.40–1.0. Practise all aft. 2.15–4.15. Practise Viola after tea. V. hot day, for this time of year. Dinner early at 6.45. & go to Queen’s Hall to B.B.C. Concert. B.B.C. Orch. conducted by Adrian Boult. Euryanthe ov. (Weber), beastly bit of music, mauled about by Boult (2nd Subject more than 2ce as slow as 1st sub.). Bad slips on part of orch. V. Williams Tallis Fantasia. V. beautiful (wonderfully scored), but over long. well played. Cortot in Saint-Saëns 4th Con, very wonderful playing in spite of many wrong notes, which one didn’t mind. Encored, playing (marvellously heavenlily) a Chopin Walse (C# min). Mahler’s Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Maria Olszewska, wonderful singing). Lovely little pieces, exquisitely scored – a lesson to all the Elgars & Strausses in the world. Enigma Variations, a terrible contrast to these little wonders. I listened with an open mind, but cannot say that I was less annoyed by them, than usual. Of course there must be alot in them, but that type of sonorous orchestration (especially in Var. V, IX, XII, (which seem exactly alike to me)) cloys very soon. Of course there are lovely moments (Dorabella is good, but is spoilt by trite ending)(Var. XIII is very effective). on the whole I thing Ysobel’s the best) but Oh! no XIV !! The orchestra played their exacting, but effective parts very well, & Adrian Boult was a sympathetic conductor, I suppose. I suppose it’s my fault, and there is something lacking in me, that I am absolutely incapable of enjoying Elgar, for more than 2 minutes. << less