Part and parcel of pop culture is the iconography that goes along with it. Classic rock, in particular, is awash with an array of heroes wielding swords like Excalibur. This adulation forms a pivotal ...

A new Met Opera production of “Tristan und Isolde” uses Wagner’s rare wooden horn, the holztrompete, for a key offstage moment. Audiences hear its joyous call as the ship carrying Isolde ...