Sax appeal

Every month I receive e-mails from musicians around the borough requesting that they come and perform at one of our Westminster Music Library events.

About nine months ago I spoke to Michael Hernandez – the leader of The Coloratura Wind Quartet – who agreed to bring his ensemble for a recital in the Music Library. Having wowed our audience with a brilliant concert last October, imagine my delight when I discovered that this incredibly accomplished clarinettist is also a brilliant alto saxophone player, who had recently put together a saxophone quartet.

This fledgling ensemble comprises an impressive wealth of experience and talent; its members primarily perform as professional soloists and instrumentalists within larger ensembles in addition to coaching and mentoring responsibilities. A prevailing love for and commitment to chamber music however inspired the formation of this group. Would we be interested in hosting a recital in 2013?

This was an offer I simply could not refuse, and we were not disappointed. These talented musicians are not just saxophonists; they are consummate, dedicated, and professional musicians that stand up to the best of chamber ensembles of any instrumentation anywhere. Indeed Andy Robinson is usually to be heard playing viola! Baritone saxophone and viola is not the usual combination of instruments you would expect one musician to be so accomplished in.

The programme was a colourful mixture of music from the classic saxophone quartet repertoire, traditional Klezmer tunes arranged for saxophone quartet, and arrangements of jazz standards by those musical giants Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart.

The final piece – Gordon Jacob’s Saxophone Quartet – was a memorable close to a truly enjoyable evening, and judging by the rapturous applause that followed, I suspect I was not alone in thinking that we had “not had enough saxophone”.

“I cut my musical teeth in Westminster Music Library, providing free concerts of such a high standard just adds to its proven track record”.

“Amazing – it was a joy to hear the (almost complete) family of saxophones playing together”.

“Great music and great players, thanks for the opportunity”

“I really enjoyed this concert, an excellent performance. Thank you!”

[Ruth]

Why Libraries are Good for your Health, Pt II

Not many people realise that libraries (and their staff) are mobile… I am not , in this instance, talking about our wonderful Home Library Service (more of that another time)  but the fact that a lot of librarians, library assistants and even the Health Information Coordinator will leave libraries and go out and about in the community so that the maximum number of people can hear about our services and enjoy them. For example:

The great under fives sessions held regularly in our children’s libraries are taken out to local nurseries, children’s centres and schools – singing and nursery rhymes and sharing a good book – all brought to you.  We have already said how book sharing can improve your child’s health!

The craft sessions that are offered as part of children’s events in libraries get carried out to community celebrations – such was the case at the recent Queen’s Park St Georges Day celebrations on 23 April.  Lucy, the librarian at Queen’s Park Library took craft materials down to Dart Street where a street party, organised by Paddington Development Trust,  local community champions, Beethoven Centre and Beethoven Health Hub was in full swing.

The Queen’s Park Library Bibliotherapy Group made their way down to the party and spotted Mahbuba Khan, the Bengali Outreach worker promoting her English reading, writing and speaking groups. The Bengali Outreach Project and the libraries’ Health Project  (the health project runs the bibliotherapy groups) are planning several health events in partnership  in May and June, including a Tai Chi session and a pre-Ramadan health checklist event.

The Health Project also does taster share a book groups in sheltered housing such as the enjoyable group with ladies from Westbourne Open Age Hub in Raine House sheltered housing last week.

These are just a few of the ways that libraries come out  to you for the good of  your health and your community!

[Kate]

Reading together in Church Street

Reading groups in libraries are a relaxed affair. Here are some members of the Church Street Library Reading Group enjoying tea and cakes at our last meeting. We were discussing A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks. 

The book was a popular choice, and the group particularly enjoyed the London theme, the character of Veals and Faulks’ observations of the financial world, Knocker al-Rashid and his anxiety about receiving the OBE, the author’s sense of humour particularly regarding the book critic R Tranter, and the sending up of book prizes.

We’re now reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in preparation for the next meeting on Friday 31 May – new members are always welcome! This year is the 200th anniversary of the book’s publication.  

[Alison]

Why Libraries are Good for your Health!

This spring, libraries have proved that they are good for your health in a number of ways. Here are just a few:

April was Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – not something anyone really wants to dwell on if they are honest! We would much rather think about health in terms of ‘wellbeing’, with mental pictures of self and loved ones power walking in the park – sparkling eyes, glowing skin, full of vitality. That is actually a good place to start and events at Marylebone, Charing Cross and Maida Vale libraries during the month encouraged us to get it  right with advice on the basics of healthy eating and exercise for good digestion – which is of course a step in the right direction for preventing bowel cancer.

Another positive thought around this very common cancer is that, if caught early, the recovery rates are good. With this in mind, Dave from Bowel Cancer UK came along to Church Street Library for the monthly ‘Well Wednesday’ slot to inform us on the signs and signals of the disease and the importance of getting them checked out.

The Stroke Association came along to Pimlico Library and gave 28 people free blood pressure checks; psychotherapists and members of the Wellbeing team based in Vauxhall Bridge Road also visited Pimlico and told us about their free six week courses on relaxation, sleep and dealing with anxiety. This brings to mind Books on Prescription – but more about that in a moment.

Speaking to a Public Health Manager last week he informed me that there is evidence that reading is good for your health. Among other things, reading to children and taking them to libraries as toddlers has an impact on a child’s readiness for school and their reading level at age 11.  This has a knock-on effect on people’s socio-economic status as adults – which is closely linked to health.

We have been doing as much sharing of books as possible recently. It wasn’t hard –  due to Cityread London we were able to give copies of A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks to health partners who seemed genuinely pleased with their gifts. World Book Night was another occasion to give away books – we had events at Paddington and Westminster Reference libraries to do just that. Copies of The Reader by Bernard Schlink were donated to members of the public as well as NHS staff and members of bibliotherapy reading groups. “Is it free?” I was asked – “YES!”  I replied.

This brings me to the very exciting upcoming nationwide relaunch of the ‘Books on Prescription’ sets.  These have been available in libraries for some time but the NHS, the Reading Agency and local authorities have been putting their heads together to revitalise this great initiative.

‘Books on Prescription’ in its new form is a set of 30 books. Most are Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) workbooks and they can be ‘prescribed’ by a health professional or counsellor to help individuals manage their emotional and mental health. They will be available very soon from all Triborough libraries.  These books are marked with a Books on Prescription sticker and can be found in the ‘Body’ section.  They have a loan period of six rather than three weeks and can, of course, be renewed.

We will have an official launch of the scheme at Church Street Library on Tuesday 4 June. Look out too for the Kensington and Chelsea launch at Brompton Library and the Hammersmith & Fulham launch at Shepherd’s Bush Library.

I’m itching to tell you about Mood Boosting Books… however, I will leave that for the next instalment of ‘Why Libraries are Good for your Health’.

[Kate]

An amateur against the impossible

Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian newspaper, visited St John’s Wood Library last Thursday to talk about his book Play It Again: An Amateur Against the Impossible.

The idea to invite somebody as busy as Mr Rusbridger to our neck of the woods came after a library customer asked us for his just-published memoir. The customer said the book sounded very intriguing and had received much praise… and that she thought Mr Rusbridger lived in the neighbourhood. Would he perhaps be willing to ‘stop by’ to promote his book? The Guardian is very transparent about their employees’ email addresses, so it was not difficult to send a message to the man himself - to which he replied quickly, accepting our invitation!

On the day of the presentation we compulsively checked the news to see whether a crisis was looming, so that we might be prepared in case our guest had to cancel his appearance. The news gods were on our side, and Mr Rusbridger arrived punctually in a Smart car.

In a diary spanning eighteen months, the author traced his endeavour to learn to play Chopin’s Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op 23 [Listen online via Naxos Music Library - just enter your library card number for access]. As he himself admits, the diary itself might not be very interesting to most people (with the possible exception of musicians), but we found that his writing makes the story an engaging read - in fact it’s very difficult to put down!

In addition to describing the beauty and friendships brought by music, Rusbridger also gives the context for his project, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from his professional life. We read about his job as editor in chief of a major news media company during some turbulent times for both the profession and the world, how lonely it can get at the very top, and about his vision during the digital revolution – one of several revolutions he mentions in the story. The book is also about becoming middle aged, finding time for ourselves in a busy daily schedule, the plasticity of our brain and how it is wired, and the role of amateurs’ passions.

This story is very engaging not just because he has observations about many different topics but also because he is very nice and inspiring company. We found his unassuming manner and soft-spoken voice in person matched the impression we had got from the book: systematic, thoughtful, intelligent, persistent, patient and humorous.

Luckily the world was a calm place for a couple of hours, so our guest had time for questions and a little bit of chatting… but not wine – he was on his way to another meeting.

(Ivana)

Sarah Siddons: Westminster’s Shakespearean Starlet

Sarah Siddons (1755 – 1831) was born in Brecon, South Wales, at the Shoulder of Mutton Inn, into the Kemble family - the legendary acting dynasty of the time. She married Will Siddons, an actor, at the age of 17.

Sarah made her Drury Lane debut in 1775. It did not go well! Her performances were poorly received, and she was given a note from the manager of Drury Lane Theatre stating that her services would no longer be required. She was, in her own words,
“banished from Drury Lane as a worthless candidate for fame and fortune…”

She left London and toured the circuit in the provinces for the following 6 years, in particular York and Bath, building up a solid reputation. By the time she returned to Drury Lane in 1782, she was an immediate sensation.

She was most famous for playing Lady Macbeth and the writers of the time coined the term ‘Siddonimania’, to describe her weeping and hysterical audiences who were gripped with ‘Siddons Fever’. After Lady Macbeth she played Desdemona, Rosalind, Ophelia and Volumnia, all with great success; and formally retired from the stage in 1812.

In her latter years, Sarah lived at Westbourne Farm, with her brother Charles in the nearby cottage. The house was located by what is now Harrow Road, but was demolished in 1904.

C. Havalliaud’s statue of Sarah in Paddington Green was unveiled in 1897. There is also a statue to commemorate Sarah by the sculptor Thomas Campbell in Westminster Abbey, in the chapel of St Andrew. You can find out more about Westminster’s history, including its rich theatrical heritage, by visiting the Archives Centre.

[Ana]

This is their moment

On Tuesday, Westminster Music Library played host to a packed audience, eagerly anticipating an evening of songs from both the classical and musical theatre performed by two promising musicians. They were not disappointed, our two rising young stars – baritone Daniel Smith and pianist Adam Hope (Adam making a return trip to Westminster Music Library, this time as accompanist) – already have a glittering set of credentials in the world of music performance.

The concert opened with classical songs by Handel, Haydn and a selection of eighteenth century Italian songs, all demonstrating Daniel’s deep understanding of musical interpretation and sensitivity.

Having lulled our audience into a mood of calm and tranquillity, the second set opened with Adam playing something distinctly syncopated, giving us a big clue that what we were about to hear would be a lot livelier, and quite possibly ‘jazzier’. From Nat King Cole to Andrew Lloyd Webber, we were treated to timeless classics like “Mona Lisa” and toe tapping numbers from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat. The boy sure can swing, and with a pianist like Adam to accompany him, we reckon his future as a world class performer is guaranteed, catch them while you can.

Our audience clearly enjoyed it too…

“Many thanks to all concerned for an excellent concert and the opportunity to join the library.”

“Daniel and Adam were both fantastic and the staff were extremely welcoming, helpful and friendly.”

“A very enjoyable and special musical evening, thank you.”

“Very well performed, I’m sure Daniel has a very bright future.”

[Ruth]