Rolex and the Opera

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Rolex named its first arts testimonee, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, in the 1970s and has since been inextricably tied to the world of opera. The list of testimonees has grown to include such greats as Plácido Domingo, Cecilia Bartoli and Jonas Kaufmann since then and the watchmaker has also become the official timepiece of many of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. 

Plácido Domingo in Simon Boccanegra, at The Royal Opera House in 2010 (photo: Rolex/Catherine Ashmore)
Teatro alla Scala has been one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world for over 200 years, setting the stage for memorable performances from some of the most gifted operatic talents of all time. It has hosted the premier of many famous operas in its lifetime, including Verdi's Otella and Falsta, Bellini's Norma and Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Plácido Domingo gave a memorable Otello performance there and Cecilia Bartoli has also graced the stage of La Scala.

Rolex is also official timepiece of the Royal Opera House in London. The photo above shows Domingo in Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera in 2010. Rolex is also the official timepiece for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the Ópera National de Paris. The watchmaker is Exclusive Partner of the New Year's and Summer Night Concerts at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The New Year's Eve concert celebration is shown in the beautiful photo below.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, New Year's Concert (photo: Alamy images)
Other notable arts testimonees include tenor Juan Diego Flóres, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and Rolando Villazón. Rolex is also Main Sponsor of the Salzburg Festival, featuring 180 classical and contemporary performances that include opera and drama. The festival is known for introducing new works onto the international music scene. I have embedded the trailer for the 2016 festival, which is currently under way. For more information on Rolex and its ties to the arts, visit the arts and culture section of rolex.com.


Rolex Arts Testimonee, Tenor Rolando Villazón

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A Rolex Arts Testimonee since 2005, Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón has been dazzling audiences with his beautiful voice and masterful stage presence when he appeared on the international opera scene in 1999. He won 3 prizes in his mentor Plácido Domingo's Operalia singing competition and ended up taking second place overall. In the video embedded below, he honors Domingo before performing 'No Puede Ser' to a standing ovation.

Mexican Tenor Rolando Villazón (photo: Monika Rittershaus)
Villazón's singing career got its start in a very interesting way. He was discovered by baritone Arturo Nieto, who heard him singing in the shower in his Mexico City apartment. From there, he went on to compete in Operalia, then made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Alfredo in La Traviata. He has performed in operas by Verdi, Puccini and Mozart to critical acclaim. He appeared at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna with Plácido Domingo in front of millions of viewers and has also achieved success as a platinum recording artist.

His connection to Domingo has continued throughout his career. In 2007 he recorded an album of zarzuelas conducted by Domingo. His career was sidelined after 2007 due to a cyst in his vocal cords. He underwent surgery in 2009 and returned to the stage in 2010 as Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore at the Vienna State Opera. After that, he performed a series of recitals and later began performing Mozart tenor roles, releasing an album of Mozart concert arias in 2014.

For more information on Rolando Villazón including his performance schedule, videos, audio and more, visit his official website at rolandovillazon.com.

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Salzburg Festival

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The Salzburg Festival is a celebration of performing arts and music that takes place in Salzburg, Austria every summer. The first festival took place in 1920 with a performance of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Jedermann in front of the Salzburg Cathedral. The performance of Jedermann in the Cathedral Square has become a tradition of the six week festival. 

Salzburg, Austria during the 2014 Salzburg Festival (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tezenas)
Salzburg, Austria during the 2014 Salzburg Festival (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tezenas)
Salzburg's baroque city center, a Unesco World Heritage site and the birthplace of Mozart, hosts the event that has featured performances by Plácido Domingo, Francesco Meli and Cecilia Bartoli. Bartoli is currently the artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, which takes place in the spring. She will also be taking on the role of Maria in a new production of West Side Story at the 2016 summer festival.

The Trapp Family Singers performed at the festival in 1936. The performance is recreated in the filmic adaptation of the broadway musical based on Austria's von Trapp family, The Sound of Music. In the film, the performance takes place in 1938, a historical inaccuracy that was surely devised to heighten the film's drama.

Rolex has been the main sponsor of the Salzburg Festival since 2012. For more information on the 2016 festival, including the sold out production of West Side Story, visit the festival's official site.

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Teatro alla Scala, Milan

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Teatro alla Scala is an opera house in Milan, Italy that was inaugurated in August of 1778. It was approved for construction by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1776 after a fire burned down the Teatro Regio Ducale. It was built on the site of the Church of Maria alla Scala, which was deconsecrated and demolished to make room for the structure.

Photo of Teatro Alla Scala, Milan (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
Teatro Alla Scala, Milan (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta was the first performance in La Scala, which has hosted 'la prima' of many famous operas in its lifetime, including Verdi's Otella and Falsta, Bellini's Norma and Puccini's Madama Butterfly. The audience at this venue is known as one of the most vocal and critical in the world.

Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo's Otello made for one of the greatest seasons in the opera's history. Gustavo Dudamel conducted his first Don Giovanni here and Cecilia Bartoli returned to La Scala after many years absence. Rolex became their official timepiece in 2006.

The theater underwent a €61 million renovation from 2002 through 2004 under architect Mario Botta. The backstage area was expanded, allowing for larger productions in the space. Preservationists were initially against the renovation, but ultimately pleased with the updates to the building. 

Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo

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Born in Madrid in 1941, Plácido Domingo was musically inclined from a young age. His parents were both singers and moved their family to Mexico when Domingo was 8 years old to start a zarzuela company. There, he began developing his musical talent at the Musical Conservatory of Mexico. He made his major zarzuela debut in Manuel Fernández Caballero's Gigantes y cabezudos.
Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo (photo: Rolex/ Mario Testino)
The tenor has sung over 150 roles in some of the greatest opera houses in the world including La Scala in Milan, London's Royal Opera House and The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. After establishing himself as an opera great in the 1960s and 1970s, he began recording popular and Latin music in the 1980s with much success. He became a Rolex Arts Testimonee in 1982.

The worlds of opera and popular music came together when Domingo joined Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras to form The Three Tenors in 1990. Their first album together, Carreras Domingo and Pavarotti in Concert, became the best selling classical album of all time.

In 1994 the trio performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra for their second album of live recordings. Their performance of My Way is embedded below with Frank Sinatra giving them a standing ovation at the end. Domingo is currently the general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Aside from his illustrious career as a tenor, baritone and conductor, Domingo also gives his time to emerging musical talents. He founded Operalia in 1993, a contest that travels the world looking for fresh opera talent. He is known to take an interest in the winners of the competition and spends time helping develop their individual careers. Rolex has sponsored Operalia since 2001.

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The Metropolitan Opera in New York City

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The largest classical music organization in North America, The Metropolitan Opera saw its first season in 1883. After the industrial revolution created a large number of newly wealthy families in the late nineteenth century, The Academy of Music refused to allow them to purchases boxes for their performances. This inspired families like the Roosevelts and the Vanderbilts, who were considered 'new money' at the time, to band together and create what we now know as The Met.

Photo of The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
The Metropolitan Opera in New York City (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
The original building, or 'Old Met' as it is often called, was located on 39th and Broadway. It wasn't until 1966 that The Metropolitan Opera House moved to its current location at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The Met presents up to 27 performances in a season featuring classical works from the 18th and 19th centuries as well as more modern and minimalist presentations. Many of the greatest opera singers have performed on their stage, including Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Jonas Kaufmann.

In September of 1999, Rolex Testimonee Plácido Domingo set the record for the most opening night performances with his 18th appearance on the stage. The tenor, baritone and conductor has been an Arts Testimonee since 1982. Rolex has been the official timepiece of The Metropolitan Opera since August of 2011.

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Rolex is the Official Watch of the Royal Opera House, London

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In addition to its Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and testimonees like Plácido Domingo and Jonas Kaufmann, Rolex supports the arts by patronizing cultural institutions like The Royal Opera House in London. Constructed in 1732, this opera house is located in Covent Garden, central London and has gone by the name Royal Opera House since 1892. 

Photo of interior of The Royal Opera House in London (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
The Royal Opera House in London (photo: Rolex/Ambroise Tézenas)
This beautiful performing arts venue has seen many masters of classical music, opera and ballet take its stage. The first ballet was presented here in 1734 and baroque composer Handel presented his musical works here until his death in 1759. During World War I is was used as furniture repository and during World War II it became a dance hall. 

The structure has seen many renovations since, including a £213 Million reconstruction that took place between 1997 and 1999 which modernized the facility and created several new spaces and structures. Rolex became official watch of the Royal Opera House in 2008. They also sponsor the other major European opera houses, including the Ópera National de Paris and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. 

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