Was watching a concert the other day, and up popped someone playing the ’40 string Viennese Zither’. For anyone who can’t remember hearing one, you might have seen the old masterpiece “The Third Man” starring Orson Welles. If so, this is the instrument that plays the haunting theme constantly in the background.
The theme, released as a single, sold a half million copies in three months which was pretty good for a 1950 film. Apparantly it even made US$100,000 in royalties in the USA!
The player, Anton Karas become famous, if only for a little while, but the music and the sound of that instrument lingers on in many minds. Of course, its popularity was helped along by Australian born entertainer Shirley Abicair who made her name playing the zither… though I don’t recall her ever playing it in a ‘classical’ fashion’ (and I’m sure there are fewer each year old enough to remember her appearing on the telly :))
No idea currently who the soloist was in last nights concert but he was damn good and the sound reminded me how many instruments out there rarely get an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities in todays somewhat static orchestras.
Maybe some of the more ‘exotic’ instruments like the zither need to be given more of a look-in now and then?
The Eclectic Interweb 