Press Centre
Dazzling Restoration at the Metropolitan Opera
CHANDELIERS MADE WITH SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL TO SPARKLE FOR THE OPENING NIGHT GALA OF THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Swarovski is delighted to collaborate with New York’s Metropolitan Opera to restore for the first time the eleven iconic crystal chandeliers that grace the Grand Tier Restaurant and lobby of the world famous opera house. Swarovski is underwriting the lustrous restoration project, which will see the chandeliers returned to the Met in time for the inaugural celebration of the Opera’s 125th anniversary season on September 22, 2008.
Designed by Hans Harald Rath of distinguished chandelier manufacturer J&L Lobmeyr in Vienna, and originally installed in 1966, the chandeliers have returned to their birthplace – the Lobmeyr factory – for the refurbishment, which is being funded entirely by Swarovski. Each chandelier has undergone a painstaking renovation process, including the replacement of around 50,000 beautiful Swarovski crystals custom-made for the Metropolitan Opera.
Swarovski has recreated the bespoke designs especially for the restoration, using technological advances over the last four decades to produce crystals of outstanding brilliance and luminosity. In the future, Metropolitan fans will be able to acquire a precious piece of history for themselves, when Swarovski crystals from the original chandeliers go on sale at the newly renovated opera shop.
"Swarovski is honoured to be joining forces with the Metropolitan Opera, a powerful symbol of generous cultural values. As a company whose principles are also based on respect and generosity, and whose Central European heritage springs straight from the same vibrant cultural era of the late 19th and early 20th century, we feel an instant rapport with this world famous institution,” says Markus Langes-Swarovski, member of the Executive Board.
Swarovski’s collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera began in 1966 when the famed chandeliers were offered by the Republic of Austria as a token of gratitude for American aid received in the aftermath of World War II. The collaboration continued with the fabulous exhibition, Maria Callas & Swarovski: Jewels on Stage, hosted at the opera house in 2006/2007. This occasion saw Swarovski restoring the Metropolitan Opera Club’s chandelier, a glittering success that sparked initial talks about supporting the complete restoration initiative now in full swing. New work is planned for summer 2009, when 138 wall sconces in the front of house will be refurbished using scintillating Swarovski crystals.
The Metropolitan Opera is not the only historic venue to be illuminated by Swarovski crystal. A spectacular chandelier sparkles in the Palace of Versailles, while the world’s largest, at 14 metres high, hangs in the Sultan Quaboos Grand Mosque in Oman. Meanwhile, Swarovski’s Crystal Palace Collection – with cutting-edge chandelier designs by both established greats such as Ron Arad, Tom Dixon and Yves Béhar, and upcoming stars such as Fredrikson Stallard, Front Design and Jaime Hayón – regularly dazzles design aficionados at exhibitions including Milan’s Salone del Mobile and Art Basel Miami.
Swarovski crystal, now the first choice for renowned designers and architects the world over, has perfectly captured the Zeitgeist and affirmed its position as an inspirational – and for many – essential ingredient in contemporary interior design.
