< Previous50 A giant future That was nowhere near the end of the story. In fact, by now there are 17 Chambers of Wonder to delight and fascinate visitors. Swarovski Crystal Worlds recently welcomed its 15 millionth visitor, and there are more plans on the drawing board. What these look like will be revealed in the coming year, and in the next edition of Swarovski Crystal Worlds Magazine. “Swarovski Crystal Worlds is like a family – and the Giant is a little like our child. We have watched him grow. Working here, we were part of it right from the start and involved in the evolution of what Swarovski Crystal Worlds has become today. And because we come from many di erent coun- tries ourselves, it’s also a bit like a second home for us. So we also have strong bonds amongst the sta .” ¡ , ¢ 2019 : , Swarovski Crystal Worlds welcomed its 15 millionth visitors. , , £ “At the ground-breaking ceremony, none of us imagined how much bigger Swarovski Crystal Worlds would grow. For the opening our first theme was ‘kaleidoscope of change.’ Over the years, everything has grown bigger and become even more spectacular. And Swarovski Crystal Worlds has changed us too. The challenges have grown, but we as individuals and as a team have grown with it to meet those challenges.”Vienna Opera Ball Ever since the 1950s, Swarovski has provided tiaras for the debutantes at the Vienna Opera Ball. This year’s model was created by the French fashion designer Christian Lacroix. O nce a year, the Vienna State Opera is transformed into the most beautiful ballroom in the world. The Vienna Opera Ball brings a host of stars and celebrities to the Austrian cap- ital. The evening begins with the entrance of the debutantes into the ballroom. On February 20, 2020, dressed in the tradi- tional white gowns and glittering tiaras, they will open this most glamorous and brilliant of balls. Dazzling The world-famous French fashion designer Christian Lacroix worked with Swarovski to create the debutantes’ jeweled headpiece for the next ball. For inspiration, the Opera Ball organizer Maria Großbauer suggest- ed the “Queen of the Night”, the dazzling character from Mozart’s Magic Flute. In the center of the tiara: a star, gleaming with Swarovski crystals, and surrounded by smaller crystal stars – a total of 72 crystals adorn the debutantes’ magnificent tiara. “Even as a child I was in awe of the beautiful young debutantes floating across the dance floor in their spectacular outfits, as if they were in an haute couture musi- cal,” explains Lacroix. “I’ve always loved using crystals to showcase my designs for the catwalk and stage.” With this project, Christian Lacroix has become the latest in a series that includes Karl Lagerfeld, Donatel- la Versace, and Dolce&Gabbana, who have all worked with Swarovski to create tiaras for the debutantes at the Vienna Opera Ball. “Even as a child I was in awe of the beautiful young debutantes floating across the dance floor in their spectacular outfits, as if they were in an haute couture musical.” , Designer ’ “ ” was the designer’s inspiration for the tiara. ’s crowning glory is the culmination of a successful creative partnership with Swarovski. Queens of the night 52© PATRICK SWIRC, THOMAS STEINLECHNER, RHEA THIERSTEIN An evening they’ll never forget The ceremonial grandeur of the Vienna Opera Ball is familiar to Melissa and Michael: last February, they won tickets for the social event of the season – including the essential jewelry and an unforgettable dinner. Read all about their evening on the Swarovski Kristallwelten blog at kristallwelten.com/blog(in German). BL G VIENNA OPERA BALL Every year, the glamorous Opera Ball brings prominent personalities from all over the world to Vienna, and for ball enthusiasts it is the most important date in the calendar. Ball season On February 20, 2020, prominent personalities from all over the world meet in Vienna: it’s time for the traditional Opera Ball. To make sure you are properly equipped for the ball season, take a look in the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store, where you will find the perfect jewelry. Inseparably linked Swarovski highly values the importance of artistic tradition and culture, and the company’s long association with the world-famous Vienna Opera Ball is one aspect of this commitment. This impressive event links tradition and the modern world – in the sparkling light of Swarovski crystals. mworl “It is a new, fantastical in- terpretation of Christmas.” , Set Designer W orks by the set designer Rhea Thierstein have been exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and in display windows for Fabergé and Hermès. For this winter, Thier- stein created a spectacular design for the art space in the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien. The central feature of the installation is a shooting star. Meticu- lously constructed by hand from paper decorated with crystalline dust, Thierstein’s captivating celestial crea- tion is her own interpretation of Christmas, transport- ing visitors into a fantasy Christmas dreamworld. Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien53 This winter’s design for the art space at Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Wien was created by the British set designer Rhea Thierstein. Her installation draws visitors into a sparkling dreamworld. DreamworldEvery year, stars of the classical music scene are invited to Wattens for the Music in the Giant festival. Thomas Larcher, the festival’s artistic director, reveals which highlights visitors to the 17th edition of the chamber music festival can look forward to. Music in the Giant 2020: Thursday May 21, 20:00 Windkraft – Kapelle für neue Musik Friday May 22, 20:00 Freiburg Baroque Orchestra with Vox Luminis Saturday May 23, 11:00 Novus Quartet 20:00 Attacca Quartet with Caroline Shaw (viola, vocals) Sunday May 24, 11:00 Eggner Trio 20:00 Roomful of Teeth You can find the complete program at kristallwelten.com/music. 54 Text – Simon Leitner “An invitation to discover new soundscapes” © EDUARDUS LEE Interview55 ideal of perfectionism, quality, and innovation despite having very few kindred spirits there. Probably 95 percent of people in Tyrol knew him while he was alive, and his presence can still be felt today, at least in the region’s local music scene. What do you personally associate with Werner Pirchner? I knew him well. When I was a young man, he opened many musical doors for me. That’s why I find it really great, not only as artistic director, that we’ll be paying tribute to him with two concerts being performed as part of Music in the Giant: his chamber symphony “Soirée Tyrolienne” and the piece for three pianos “Wem gehört der Mensch...?” Many thanks for talking to us. S C W M: Mr Larcher, you’ve been in charge of “Music in the Giant” for almost 17 years now. Are you getting bored after so many years of doing this work? : Not in the least. We cover a wide range of musical styles with the festival, basically every facet of classical music – from early music to new and improvised music. And sometimes, we even step it up a notch. This makes it easy to put a program together that appeals to visitors and to find interesting artists and groups to perform. What are your criteria for picking them? Basically, in most cases I just look for what I like person- ally. I like music that I find interesting, music where I think it’s special, exciting, music with substance, something I would like to share with the audience. That is also one of the main goals of the festival: to o¥er the locals the opportunity to discover the world of classical music – even if they don’t have a lot of prior experience or special knowledge about it. It is an invitation to the general public to discover new worlds of sound. What can we expect from the upcoming version of the festival? Once again, we have a very interesting mix. I am really looking forward to Caroline Shaw, a young artist who is a composer as well as a musician and singer. This makes her someone who has kept an old tradition alive that is becoming increasingly rare nowadays. She will be singing with “Roomful of Teeth”, her ensemble of musically diverse vocalists, as well as performing as a violist with the Attacca Quartet. It’s slightly emphasizing the American aspect, if you will. Another highlight is the “Bach beflügelt” (Bach gives you wings) program, with cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann, interpreted by the Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. However, the main focus will be on Werner Pirchner, who would have celebrated his 80th birthday in 2020. Can you tell us something about Werner Pirchner? He was born in Hall in Tyrol and originally performed as an accordion player and in local taverns until he eventu- ally became a world-class jazz musician and, ultimately, a renowned film composer. In a certain sense, he was one of a kind in Tyrol because he continued to embody the “That is also one of the main goals of the festival: to oer the locals the opportunity to discover the world of classical music.” © EDUARDUS LEE Thomas Larcher, born in 1963, is an Austrian composer and pianist. He is considered to be a performer whose musical style transcends boundaries, characterized by traditional elements as well as a desire to experiment. Larcher has received several awards for his work, including the British Composer Award or the Fondation Prince Pierre’s Prix de Composition Musicale. He was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize, which is the country’s most prestigious award in the field of culture, in October 2019.“Being club president is my life’s role” In just six years, the WSG Swarovski Tirol soccer team made it to the Austrian national league under the direction of president and Daniel Swarovski’s great-great-granddaughter, Diana Langes-Swarovski. She sat down for an interview to tell us about the company’s sports legacy and her plans for the club. 56 Text – Daniel Schreier© ANGELO LAIR 57Sports S C W M : Ms Langes- Swarovski, how important is it to you to continue your father’s and great-great-grandfather’s sports tradition? D L-S : I am so incredibly happy that I can continue this sports legacy, which has its roots in the 19th century factory sports tradition. We were taught that our social responsibility goes far beyond the factory gates. That of course is where sports are really important and wonderful. How has your life changed since becoming president of the club? I’m actually someone who doesn’t like to reveal too much. However, since I became president, that has changed a lot, of course. I am very approachable, and I find the function as president and the responsibilities associated with it extremely fun. Can you still imagine living without national-league soccer? No, being president is my life’s role. It made me flourish and I can’t imagine not doing this work. I think about soccer when I get up, spend the whole day doing things related to it, and then go to bed at night thinking about soccer. Sometimes I even dream about soccer. You’re not only president of the WSG Tirol, you’re also an ocial in the Austrian Football Association and a successful entrepreneur. How do you manage to do everything? I’m not the only one managing. There’s an entire team that helps me out. We all work together; if I had been alone, I never would have been able to make it so far. It’s much easier as a team. We get everything done, and if we are about to struggle, we stop to take a deep breath and carry on. Pool your resources and that’s it. I love doing what I do, and I think everyone can tell. How does your relationship with the team and sta di er from your father’s? From what I hear our relationship is very similar. My father was always very close to the team. I can remem- ber how the players were always at our house. I also find a personal relationship very important. We’re part of the same thing. For example, I was invited out to dinner by the entire team. I don’t think that happens at every club, that the team invites the president and not the other way around.Everything was new. And that’s how it is in the nation- al league too, but now there’s more money involved. That’s why I approach everything with the same emo- tions, but with more respect. How does it a ect your management strategy? You take every step a bit more carefully before making a decision. You don’t want to make any mistakes. That’s why I can’t answer the question as to where we’ll be in five years from now. At the moment, our main goal is to maintain our current status. We would like to get settled in this league before planning the next steps. What plans does the WSG Tirol have for promoting young talent? What can be done to develop the unpolished Tyrolean gemstones of soccer for their future in the club? Of course, young talent is our most important asset. We have always been used to the WSG being a club that promotes mass sports and, of course, it is still that way today. Our club teaches more than 200 children to play soccer, and they are coached by 26 team and individual coaches. Starting at 14, we then keep trying to make their training more professional and structured. In that vein, we work closely with communities in the region and we exchange ideas. With the upcoming renovations at the Ger- not-Langes Stadium, the training conditions for our young talent will also be at a new level. How has this function changed you personally? Soccer has given me much more self-confidence and, as a result, it has made me more mature. My advice to every girl and woman is to start playing soccer, start doing some sort of team sport – sticking together makes you stronger in the end. Many thanks for talking to us. You turned your regional-league club into a national-league player within six years. How did you do that? When taking over the club, I said that our goal was to be the number one team in Tyrol in the next five years. Then everyone’s jaw dropped for a minute. After that we all put our minds to it, and we ended up achieving the goal. And that’s something that can be planned so easily? I do think that, to a certain extent, you can plan for success in soccer. Of course, you can’t anticipate in- juries and other unpredictable events, but overall you can plan ahead. Were there people at your side where you say you wouldn’t have succeeded without them? That’s everyone on my team, whether they’re part of the club or my company. Beginning with the WSG Swarovski Tirol coaches and ending with the attend- ants in the stadium. You always have to stick together. One person alone can’t win a soccer game. Where do you see the WSG Tirol in five years from now? Now that we’re at the national level, our development will be much slower, of course. We started out in the regional league, and it was like having a soccer ball randomly fall into my lap. That was a huge challenge for me. Then we made it to the next level. Then the same feeling was there again. Once again, it was a major challenge and, at the same time, a great feeling. 58 © GEPA PICTURES - “You always have to stick together. One person alone can’t win a soccer game.” - , , Swarovski has had close ties to sports since the beginning of the company’s history. Whether it is sports in the factory or in the major leagues, sponsoring teams is both a passion and a purpose for this family of entrepreneurs. L ong before companies even thought about corporate social responsibility, in the late 19th century, Daniel Swarovski had already proved that responsibility for employees didn’t stop at the factory gates. He founded and supported many unions and clubs that brought his factory employ- ees together as a community. It also provided them with the opportunity to achieve physical and mental harmony. Many of the workers, who moved to Wattens from the surrounding areas in the early 20th century, had some trouble getting used to their new lives in the factories and workers’ quarters. When they ar- rived in Wattens, they had to do their work according to a punch clock and machines instead of harvests and farming seasons. Sports clubs, which ultimately resulted in various Swarovski factory sports teams, organized various recreational activities and created a sense of community outside the factory. Successful high-performance sports Gernot Langes-Swarovski, Daniel Swarovski’s great- grandson, opened a new chapter in the history of sports sponsorship back in the 1980s. He founded the FC Swarovski Tirol in 1986 and took over the operat- ing license for the national league as well as a large part of the FC Wacker Innsbruck soccer team. Under the entrepreneur’s leadership, the legendary Austrian coach Ernst Happel and internationally renowned soccer players, such as the German European cham- pion Hansi Müller, came to Tyrol. During Langes-Swarovski’s time as president, the FC Swarovski Tirol was successful nationally and internationally. These achievements include reaching the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1987, two Austrian cham- pionship titles, a double in 1989, and winning the Intertoto Cup three times, between 1989 and 1991. In 1992, Gernot Langes-Swarovski stepped down as president and the club was dissolved. He then ded- icated his e¬orts to the WSG Wattens, and he was president of the club until 2013. Inspired by sports Sports59 - when introducing Happel as the team’s coach was one of the first sports clubs sponsored by Swarovski.Next >