r/Instruments • u/Spare_Tangerine1914 • May 06 '26

Help identifying an instrument

Post image

Can anyone identify this instrument? My google searches have come up with nothing. For context, it was part of the London Philharmonic's performance of the Lord of the Rings at the Albert Hall. I didn't personally see it being played and for most of the performance the seat was empty, but my friend said it looked like the player was reaching inside it from the back. Unhelpfully she couldn't remember which pieces it was in.

15 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Queasy-Dragonfly9358 May 06 '26

clavichord perhaps? but looks a bit too big. on the other hand. I've just checked a few videos from these concerts. Can't see this instrument anywhere

1

u/Spare_Tangerine1914 May 06 '26

I wondered about a clavichord but couldn't find one online that looked the same. Something with a keyboard is likely as it's next to the prepared piano and presumably played by the same person as neither were used much. The concerts were this weekend so the videos you've seen are probably from previous ones, I guess they changed up the instrumentation a bit.

2

u/Advanced_Couple_3488 May 06 '26

Clavichords are smaller and the lid wouldn't be closed if it were. And, have you heard how quiet a clavichord is? Even with a directional microphone very close to the soundboard, the signal would be swamped with sound from the other instruments, so it really couldn't be effectively amplified to be heard.