In this video from the Musée de la musique at the Philharmonie de Paris, Raphaël Pidoux plays an experimental cello made by luthier Thomas Zach in 1872.

The piece is the Humoreske op.11 no.2 by David Popper, the cellist who showcased this very instrument at the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873.

The cello’s form, described on its label as ‘Violino Harpa – forma magna’, is intended to offer a substantially increased soundbox volume.