On September 7, 2016, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, Rolex joined hands with the National Theater to present a performance starring Plácido Domingo, a world-renowned Spanish tenor. Verdi opera ‘Macbeth’. As the spokesperson for the world’s top watch brand Rolex and the world-renowned tenor singer, Domingo, despite being nearly eighty years old, is still relentlessly exploring and pursuing on the road to art. After joining hands with Rolex to present Will’s first masterpiece, Simon Pocaniella, in 2015, he came to the National Theatre again.
    Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello are collectively referred to as Shakespeare’s ‘Four Great Tragedies’, which reflects the process of Macbeth’s distorted, perished and destroyed because of its strong right ambition. The rich social content reflects Shakespeare’s humanistic thinking. This edition of ‘Macbeth’ is batoned by conductor Daniel Oren, and directed by talented director Hugo de Anne. Domingo’s leading actress, Macbeth, was starred by the famous Chinese female singer Sun Xiuwei.
    In 1847, Italian composer Verdi put ‘Macbeth’ on the opera stage based on Piave’s script. ‘Macbeth’ is not only an opera adapted from the first Shakespeare play in Verdi’s creative career, but also a classic that is still being performed in Verdi’s early operas and has a strong artistic influence and appeal. The opera ‘Macbeth’ is not only faithful to Shakespeare’s original work, but also excels the characters’ inner desires and fears with strong dramatic music, and has shocking performances in scenes such as ‘knocking’ and ‘sleepwalking’.
    The internationally renowned tenor singer Placido Domingo is one of the most outstanding performing artists in the history of opera, known for his unique voice and powerful interpretation. Domingo has been a Rolex brand ambassador since 1982. He is not only a legend in the music industry, but also a generous and enthusiastic mentor, and has always given his full support to talented young artists. He created the ‘Domingo World Opera Vocal Contest’, which has been sponsored by Rolex for 16 consecutive years since 2001. Domingo once stated his connection with Rolex: ‘The time, energy and skill involved in making, assembling and testing Rolex watches is just as important as the process of writing a musical score to the stage.’

 © Rolex / Mario Testino

    Rolex strives for perfection and excellence, and supports outstanding individuals and institutions with talents in the art world. Domingo and his artistic pursuit are vividly interpreting this idea. This is another audiovisual feast presented by Rolex spokesperson Domingo for the majority of opera lovers in China. It once again demonstrates Rolex’s long-standing support for outstanding artists and its unlimited enthusiasm for the global cultural and artistic cause.

Rolex and the arts

    Rolex has always insisted on being an important driving force behind the best art events, artists, art projects and activities. Rolex seeks partners who are as passionate as their brands, striving for precision and excellence. Therefore, the association between Rolex and the art world is logical. Rolex’s collaboration with the art world dates back to the 1970s. At the time, New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa started a long-standing collaboration between Rolex and the art world.
Over the years, Rolex’s support for art has expanded to many outstanding artists in various fields. In the field of vocal music, in addition to the well-known Spanish tenor singer Plácido Domingo who has a relationship with the brand for more than 30 years, Rolex’s spokesperson, as well as the Italian baritone singer Cecilia. Cecilia Bartoli, German tenor singer Jonas Kaufmann, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez and English tenor Home Bryn Terfel. Outstanding classical musicians working with Rolex are also talented young Chinese pianists Yundi Li and Yuja Wang. In addition, Rolex has established a close working relationship with Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel. As the world’s first-class orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which is directed by Dudamel, is also sponsored by Rolex.
    In the field of modern music, Rolex maintains a stable cooperative relationship with many well-known pop artists, including Grammy Award winner, Canadian jazz singer Michael Bublé and Indian sitar player and composer Arnold Anoushka Shankar.
    In addition to supporting artists, Rolex also understands the importance of working with prestigious art groups such as the fascinating Teatro alla Scala, the historic Royal Opera House, It also supported the prestigious Opéra National de Paris in September 2014; it also supported the prestigious Metropolitan Opera in New York.
    At the same time, Rolex strongly supports the popular Salzburg Festival and the famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Rolex’s support for art has now extended to Asia and has become a dedicated timepiece for the National Centre for the Performing Arts.
At the same time, Rolex also helps young artists realize their artistic potential through a number of sponsorship projects, such as the annual World Opera Vocal Contest, Operalia, founded by Mr. Placido Domingo, as well as the Rolex Mentor and Sponsorship Program (Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative), a program designed to discover talented young artists around the world for a year-long collaboration with art masters and receive one-on-one careful guidance during this time.
    In the spirit of the founder of the brand, Mr. Wilsdorf, Rolex is always active in the arts and spares no effort to support outstanding talents and institutions that share common values ​​with the brand and relentlessly pursue perfection and excellence. This support will benefit the inheritance of the artistic heritage and make a unique and lasting contribution to cultural causes around the world.