Chopard crafts an operatic Knight’s Rose

Haute Joaillerie Chopard’s workshops – at the invitation of actor Christoph Waltz – craft the famous rose and jewellery complementing the stage costumes for “The Knight with the Rose”, Richard Strauss’s comic opera, which performed at the Grand Théâtre de Genève

An unconditional supporter of the arts, Chopard Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele recently accepted actor Christoph Waltz’s invitation to take part in the comic opera “The Knight with the Rose” (Der Rosenkavalier) at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

For the occasion, she has designed and had her Haute Joaillerie workshops make the rose that seals the promise of marriage of which Octavian – played here by mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier – is the messenger. A modern reinterpretation of this precious symbol, the rose is crafted in blackened titanium, with articulated petals entirely set with rubies, while the leaves sparkle with black diamond inlays. Above and beyond its role as a stage accessory, this sparkling jewel symbolises love and the higher power of feelings. It required no less than 450 hours of work by several artisans within the Maison.

As part of the creative process, Caroline Scheufele also gave costume designer Carla Teti access to her latest Haute Joaillerie collections to enhance the stage costumes, combining their colours with those of the precious stones. The jewels include a necklace set with diamonds arranged in Chopard’s signature jewellery lace design, as well as a pair of amethyst earrings to match the mauve dress of soprano Maria Bengtsson in the role of the Marschallin. Young Sophie, played by Mélissa Petit, appears in a yellow outfit complemented by earrings and a bracelet whose yellow and white diamonds sparkle on stage with a radiant glow.

The opera has four main characters: the aristocratic Marschallin; her very young lover, Count Octavian Rofrano; her oafish cousin, Baron Ochs; and Ochs’ future fiancée, Sophie von Faninal – the daughter of a wealthy bourgeois. At the Marschallin’s suggestion, Octavian brings Sophie a silver rose as a token of Ochs’ proposal of marriage. The two youngsters fall in love at first sight and quickly devise a comic plot to free Sophie from her engagement. They succeed with the help of the Marschallin, who gives up her lover to the young woman. Although it is a Komödie für Musik, the work deals with very serious themes, especially through the prism of the Marschallin.

The premiere took place on December 13, 2023, at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, where “The Knight with the Rose” was performed until December 26, 2023.