Left: Henri-Gabriel Ibels (1867-1936) Au Cirque (appeared in L’Estampe Originale, 1893. Right Piranesi – Fantastical façade of an antique building, c1765-69

EXHIBITIONS The British Museum launches two free new exhibitions. • French Impressions: Prints from Manet to Cézanne. Explore the flourishing Impressionist print movement of late 19th-century France. This display captures the vibrant and dynamic world of the Impressionists as they explored the exciting possibilities of printmaking. • Piranesi Drawings: Visions of Antiquity. Celebrating the 300th anniversary of Piranesi’s birth in 1720, this display includes a collection of his drawings, from his grand depictions of ancient Rome, to his recordings of the newly-discovered ruins of Pompeii. Both exhibitions are in Room 90, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. 020 7323 8000. Daily 10am-5.30pm (Fri 10am-8.30pm). Running until August 9. Visit www.britishmuseum.org for further details.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 21

TALK Rick and Elis Simpson: An Inspiration of Waders. The Marylebone Birdwatching Society welcome the founders of Wader Quest, who will explore how waders have inspired people, the arts, culture, myths and legends and how they are, in themselves, a most inspiring group of birds. Gospel Oak Methodist Church, entrance in Lisburne Road, NW3. £5. 020 8883 9301. 7.15pm-9.15pm.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22

CONCERT Hampstead Early years Music Education Centre (HEMEC) welcome world-class pianist Evelyne Berezovsky to help launch a new series of informal lunch time concerts. Belsize Community Library, Antrim Road, NW3. £10, children free. Visit www.eventbrite.co.uk for further details. 12.30pm-1.30pm.

MUSIC Cellar Upstairs Folk Club. Scottish singer Scott Gardiner, a winner at the Bothy Ballad World Championships, takes to the stage. Calthorpe Arms, 252 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1. 020 7281 7700. £8/£6. 8.15pm.

PERFORMANCE Tales from the Socialist Crypt. Five topical mini-plays written by Islington resident Damian Escayg, exploring the effects of modern political thought and working practice on everyday people’s lives. Themes include zero hours exploitative work, workplace jargon and euphemism, and the celebration of diversity on the labour movement. Chapel Playhouse, 308-312 Gray’s Inn Road, WC1. £10, book by visiting www.chapelplayhouse.co.uk. 7pm. Also running at the same time on Sunday.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23

CONCERT A traversal of the cello sonata’s development. Lydia Shelley (cello) and Nicolas Stavy (piano) take the audience on a journey, from Beethoven’s pioneering G minor sonata through to Shostakovich’s only essay in the genre, composed in 1934 just before Soviet authorities began censoring his work. Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, WC1. 020 7405 1818. £14£10, or free for anyone aged Under-26 courtesy of the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust. 6.30pm-8.30pm.

POETRY An evening of readings. A multi-poet event, organised by SJ Fowler. Poets from the floor welcome. Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Avenue, NW5. 020 7267 2751. £5/£4. 7.30pm.

PUB QUIZ Win a £50 bar tab. Golden Lion Public House, Royal College Street, NW1. 7pm.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 24

MUSIC Fleet Singers. Join this community choir preparing for a performance of Eternal Light Requiem by Howard Goodall at the end of March. Gospel Oak Methodist Church, Agincourt Road, NW3. 020 7267 8658. Free introductory rehearsal for newcomers. 7.30pm-9.30pm.

READING The Fable of Cupid and Psyche. An exploration of the ancient tale of Cupid and Psyche, with author Tim Addey. St Pancras Community Association, 67 Plender Street, NW1. Free, donations welcome.  Visit www.prometheustrust.co.uk for further details. 7pm-8.30pm.

TALK Ruth, Eva and Mirjam’s Story: A Recent Discovery Concerning Their Survival. A special talk in light of recent research on the “Ładoś List,” a list of more than 3,000 holders of Latin American passports that were issued to Jews during the Holocaust by the Legation of the Republic of Poland in Switzerland in cooperation with Jewish organisations during the war. This effort enabled the survival of thousands, including the family of Alfred Wiener, the Library’s founder. The Wiener Holocaust Library, 29 Russell Square, WC1. 020 7636 7247. Free, but must register by visiting www.wienerlibrary.co.uk. 6.30pm-8pm.

TALK The Lost Pianos of Siberia. Author Sophy Roberts discusses her new book, a remarkable travel account of Russia’s wild east that tells the story of how piano music has become in bedded within the country’s blood. Daunt Books Marylebone, 83 Marylebone High Street, W1. 020 7224 2295. £10. 7pm. TALK Sex and Lies. Author Leïla Slimani talks about her new book, which explore the lives of, and give a voice to, the young women of Morocco struggling to survive and thrive in a deeply conservative, patriarchal culture. London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, London, WC1. 020 7269 9030. £10. 7pm.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25

BIRDS Hampstead Heath walk with Marylebone Birdwatching Society. Bring binoculars. Meet at the Parliament Hill Staff Yard, NW5 at 10am. Walk ends at Kenwood at midday. Occasional visitors welcome. Free. Call 020 7267 8434 for further details. 1pm.

LECTURE Thomas Becket and London. This lecture will explore how the influence of Thomas Becket permeated city life in medieval London until Henry VIII ordered the destruction of his shrine and the removal of his name from all liturgical books. Mercers’ Hall, Ironmonger Lane, EC2. 020 7831 0575. Free, but must book in advance. Visit www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures for details. 6pm-7pm.

PHOTOGRAPHY The Hampstead Photographic Society. Offering weekly tips, expert advice and competitions. Crypt Room, St John’s Church, Church Row, NW3. £5. Visit www.hampsteadphotosoc.org.uk for further details and a full programme. 8pm.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 26

TALK So We Live: The Novels of Alexander Baron. Guest speakers, literary critic Susie Thomas, historian Nadia Valman, and social historian Ken Worpole, discuss the works of novelist Alexander Baron (1917-1999), and consider why his reputation and his writings are currently enjoying such a serious revival. Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, N1. 020 7837 4473. £5. Visit www.housmans.com to book. 7pm-8.30pm.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27

BOOK LAUNCH German, Jew, Muslim, Gay: The Life and Times of Hugo Marcus. In this talk, author Marc David Baer uses Marcus’s life and work to shed new light on a striking range of subjects, including German Jewish history and anti- semitism, Islam in Europe, Muslim-Jewish relations, and the history of the gay rights struggle. The Wiener Holocaust Library, 29 Russell Square, WC1. 020 7636 7247. Free, but must register by visiting www.wienerlibrary.co.uk. 6.30pm-8pm.

LUNCHTIME CONCERT Corran Quartet. Joana Ly (violin), Kirsty MacLeod (violin), Edward Keenan (viola) and Molly McWhirter (cello) perform Beethoven’s String Quartet Op 59 No 3. St Pancras (New) Parish Church, corner of Euston Road/Upper Woburn Place, NW1. 020 7388 1461. Free, retiring collection. 1.15pm-2pm.

TALK Actress. Author Anne Enright’s discusses her latest novel Actress, which follows the story of Irish theatre legend Katherine O’Dell, as told by her daughter Norah. London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, London, WC1. 020 7269 9030. £12. 7pm.

TALK Occult Features of Anarchism. Writer Erica Lagalisse explores various “conspiracy theories” that suggest anarchists calling for changes in government are in fact controlled by government itself. Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, N1. 020 7837 4473. Free. Visit www.housmans.com to book. 7pm-8.30pm.