The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal has premiered its sepulchral new instrument in Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben.

Canada’s Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal has premiered its brand new instrument – an octobass – in a performance of Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. The massive instrument, the lowest in the string family, is 3.6 metres tall and weighs in at a hefty 131kg. The OSM’s octobass is one of only three known octobasses in the world – and is the only one that is perfectly functional. Each of its three gut strings is over two metres long.

^{OSM double bassist Eric Chappel}

Invented in Paris in 1849 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the octobass appears in Hector Berlioz’s treatise on orchestration. In fact, the composer wrote that he wished to include the octobass in all his works for large orchestra. The instrument acquired by the Montreal Symphony is a faithful reproduction of Vuillaume’s model and the only perfect replica of the upgraded original from 1851, which is currently on display in Paris’s Musée Instrumental de la Cité de la Musique. The instrument is so large that the performer must use a system of levers and pedals to...