A rare wooden horn called a holztrompete is being used in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” Near the end of the opera, the instrument is played offstage as Tristan waits for the ship carrying Isolde and King Marke. The production opened on March 9, 2026, and its unusual sound is something many audience members have probably never heard before.

Billy R. Hunter Jr., the Met’s principal trumpet player, performs on the nearly 4-foot-long (about 122 cm) instrument. It was specially designed to follow Wagner’s unclear instructions. Wagner originally wrote the music for an English horn, but he also wanted a strong, natural sound, similar to that of an alphorn. In an 1861 letter, he described an instrument made of wood, at least 3 feet long (about 91 cm), almost like a trumpet, and slightly curved.

Over the years, opera companies have used different instruments for this part, including the Heckel-clarina and the tárogató, a woodwind instrument used in Hungarian folk music. The Met used a tárogató for many years.

In 2008, conductor Daniel Barenboim brought a holztrompete to the Met, introducing the instrument there in modern performances. Later, the Met ordered its own version from a German maker. Hunter said it is more difficult to control than a regular trumpet because it has only one valve and offers almost no way to adjust the pitch. He practiced it for a month at home before the mostly sold-out run, which continues through April 4, 2026.