At the National Film and Sound Archive, part of our mission is to preserve audiovisual technologies, trace their evolution over time and put historical formats in conversation with today’s artists. Our 1908 Edison Standard D model phonograph has been used by a variety of musicians interested in capturing their performances as they would have done in the 19th century.

Christopher Pidcock is a cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and a doctoral candidate at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Early Music Department. His PhD focuses on 19th-century performance practices, which has led to a fascination with early recordings of musicians. ‘Their expressive freedom, rhythmic flexibility and deeply personal engagement stood in stark contrast to the more polished interpretations we hear today. It made me wonder: why aren’t we playing like this now?’ Seeking to understand ‘how the technology shaped musicians’ choices’, he approached the NFSA with a request to record some cello pieces on wax cylinder.

In the process of digitising the cylinder, Gerard O’Neill, our Audio Services Team Lead, toned down a little of the roaring static associated with phonograph recordings. Still, there is an atmospheric slough around the performance, giving it an instant period flavour. Christopher says, ‘Listening back, the crackle of the wax has a warm, comforting quality. We recorded digitally at the same time, and hearing both versions was eye-opening. The wax pushed me to play more boldly and physically, while the digital version revealed that transformation in clearer detail. It showed how the medium changes your mindset: the horn makes you give more of yourself.'

In the clip, Christopher is playing Tchaikovsky's Valse Sentimentale (Sentimental Waltz), Opus 51, No. 6 (emulating the style of an early recording by Daniil Shafran), with piano accompaniment by Edward Neeman.

Explore more Wax cylinder recordings: The cello