The Heckelphone: An Rare, Intriguing and Surprisingly Versatile Member of the Double Reed Family

The Heckelphone: An Rare, Intriguing and Surprisingly Versatile Member of the Double Reed Family

The heckelphone is a double reed instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons at the turn of the last century, inspired by Richard Wagner and prominently used by Richard Strauss, Frederik Delius and a surprising number of other composers. This presentation covers the instrument and its intriguing history, as well as its surprisingly large and varied repertoire, which spans late romantic operatic and symphonic works, chamber music as well as jazz and film music. Excerpts of pivotal works for the heckelphone will accompany the discussion of their origins and composers. A live demonstration of the instrument will also be given.

Performers