Press Centre
May 2009
Viktor & Rolf add Sparkle to the opera "Der Freischütz"
OPERA PREMIERE AT THE WHITSUN FESTIVAL IN THE FESTSPIELHAUS BADEN-BADEN
SWAROVSKI proudly supports VIKTOR & ROLF’s costumes for the Freischütz
BADEN-BADEN – Robert Wilson’s new staging of the romantic opera “Der Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber will open the 2009 series of summer festivals in Europe. The opera will premiere in Germany’s largest opera house - the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden - on 30th May 2009 at 7.00pm under the musical direction of Thomas Hengelbrock, with a further performance taking place at 7.00pm on Monday 1st of June 2009. Dutch fashion design duo Viktor & Rolf have been invited to design the costumes for the new production, using almost one million CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements in the process.
Stars including Juliane Banse (Agatha), Steve Davislim (Max), Julia Kleiter (Ännchen) and Dmitry Ivashenko (Caspar) feature in the leading roles of the opera. Thomas Hengelbrock will conduct the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The Opera will be broadcasted live on ARTE, www.arte.tv and www.swarovskisparkles.tv on June 1st. Tickets and reservations can be made by calling +49 7221 30 13 101 or online at www.festspielhaus.de.
For the soloists, costumes incorporate voluminous 3D constructed shapes in saturated colours and words across the front panels and shoulders. The designs for the choir are inspired by the traditional German costume in particular: the ‘Dirndl’ and ‘Lederhose’ and were made of black neoprene. Materials used for the soloists’ costumes are: jute, organza, silk, satin, felt and lurex and are covered with CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements. The crystals transform the ambience and create a myriad of special light effects in one single look. The costumes portray fantasy and create a fairytale moment as if sprinkled by fairydust.
The collaboration is a combination of the distinctive vision of Robert Wilson and Viktor & Rolf’s unique way of designing. It is the second time that Viktor & Rolf and Robert Wilson have worked together. In November 2004, Viktor & Rolf designed costumes for ‘2 Lips and Dancers and Space” for the Netherlands Dance Theater. For the Freischutz opera, Viktor & Rolf have created remarkably colourful, dramatic and show-stopping looks. The designs were approached in an almost comic strip manner, which fits the naive folkloric-like-tale opera and Robert Wilsons’ aesthetics.
Crystal embodies glamour, and throughout Swarovski’s history, stars, both on and off screen, stylists and designers have all turned to crystal as an essential light-catching material for costumes, jewellery and stage sets. From her first appearance in Verona in La Gioconda in 1947, the divine Maria Callas always chose to wear dramatic stage jewels set with CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements. Today Swarovski continues to support high profile events and projects aimed at supporting creativity in design within fashion, jewellery, architecture and stage & screen. Nadja Swarovski, Vice President Swarovski Crystal Business explains – “Following Swarovski’s long standing relationship with fashion designers Viktor & Rolf through past innovative collaborations, the „Freischutz“ Opera directed by Robert Wilson is a wonderful opportunity to synergise our efforts in fashion and stage, and to present a new approach for crystal in costumes designed by the Dutch fashion duo“.
