DAPHNE Alphorn

Although Richard Strauss called for an onstage Alphorn to play the summons (inviting the shepherds to Peneios’ feast) that begins DAPHNE, it’s typically played by trombone. At Seattle Opera’s January 2026 DAPHNE IN CONCERT Mark Robbins (famous at Seattle Opera for many performances of Siegfried’s horn call on French horn) played the part on a proper Alphorn. The instrument was provided to Seattle Opera by Dr. Gary Martin of the University of Washington. Dr. Martin recently purchased this Alphorn (in A-flat) from Walter Bachmann in Switzerland; for DAPHNE, Martin constructed alternate-length tubes so Robbins could play the summons in G and A as well, as required by Strauss. Historically, Alphorns were played by lone herdsmen, in the alps, to call animals, to frighten predators, to communicate long-distance to other herdsmen, and for entertainment. Our theory: since DAPHNE is an opera about turning into a tree, Strauss wanted it to begin with the biggest woodwind instrument of all. David Afkham conducted the orchestra of Seattle Opera. Photo by Sunny Martini.