If you’ve never heard the sounds of the cimbalom in a live setting, you’re far from alone. The dulcimer-like instrument seldom gets much play outside of Danubian Europe.

You may have heard the cimbalom without realising it. It has had exposure in several film soundtracks, however: in composer Carmine Coppola’s In the Heat of the Night, and John Barry’s score for the spy classic The Ipcress File. More recently, the cimbalom got airtime in Howard Shore’s score for Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and in Alexandre Desplat’s music for The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Catalina Langborn and Olof Wendel. Photo supplied.

In February, music lovers in New South Wales will have a rare chance to hear the cimbalom played live by one of its leading exponents, the Swedish percussionist Olof Wendel, in an upcoming tour (Nordic Moods and Baroque Echoes) featuring Baroque violinist Catalina Langborn and the Australian ensemble The Marais Project.

Sponsored by the Swedish Arts Board for International Exchange, the group will perform throughout February 2023 in Sydney, Berrima, Dungog, Wauchope and Tea Gardens.

The Marais Project’s Jenny Eriksson (a viola da gambist) and Langborn corresponded for some time...