It was another crazy Friday. The previous night T came home furious that at his piano accompaniment session for his Oboe exam, he was “rushed by the teacher” and that he may or may not have have dropped it. He complained that after this incident that may or may not have happened, when playing a certain key group, the sound was not coming out correctly.
Panic set in on whether this was possible in one day. T just expected that it would be sorted before the ABRSM exam - typical child!
The next morning, without even phoning first, off I set on my trusty bike to Marylebone and the musical hire institution that is Howarth’s of London.
After a pleasant ride through Hyde Park, my destination appeared: a posh street full of up-market independent shops. I chained up, took a deep breath and hoped that Howarth’s could work their magic.
As I walked in, I explained the issue as best I could according to T’s brief version the night before. The gentleman behind the counter confidently accepted my garbled explanation and said he had an expert that could take a look and that it would take a couple of hours. As I left the shop, I glimpsed at the paperwork - the insurance value made me shudder. The guy in the shop agreed, it was crazy that such instruments are given to young kids who sometimes use them as light sabers!
After taking some work calls in a nearby coffee shop, I had some time to kill. I favourite of mine, from having worked nearby in the past was the amazing Wallace Collection.
As I walked in I saw the imposing portrait of Sir Richard Wallace who was responsible for putting together this amazing collection of items. What a hobby, if you can afford it! Wallace was an illegitimate son of the 4th Marquess of Hertford and manage to finish collection started by his father, after managing to secure this part of the inheritance (missing out on the title of Marquess to his cousin). Wallace was a bohemian who married the illegitimate daughter of a French Soldier Bernard Castelnau (double whammy!).
Going past the amazing stairs you immediately hit the collection of precious items from Medieval and Renaissance periods representing the history of art during this period in Europe.
After enjoying this amazing part of the collection, it was time for some refreshment and work in the stunning glass covered court yard.
After immersing myself with these "Grand" works of art, I happened to stumble across a Grayson Perry exhibition which was being housed in the basement (an artist which fellow blogger HG is huge fan of). Having been round the collection and understanding the history of Sir Richard Wallace, the title of the exhibition "Delusions of Grander" felt apt.
Having been told that it was sold out for the day, a quick and easy hack for my fellow bloggers is to head to the shop. The postcards and books about the exhibition is a great way to get a gist of the exhibition. Very Grayson Perry!
After satisfying my own delusions with this quick visit to the Wallace Collection, it was back to the business of T's Oboe. The dread of the cost of repair filled me with fear. As I approached Howarth's, the kind assistant came out and said it should be fine for the exam, but, it has to be brought back for a major service.
With no mention of a charge, I quickly grabbed the Oboe, thanked the assistant and hurried out of the shop. Job done!
With repaired Oboe in hand, T managed to pull off a Distinction in his ABRSM exam. Result!
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