Lobmeyr’s Starburst Chandeliers Were Installed at Met Opera in May 1966

Summary: Lobmeyr’s starburst chandeliers were installed at Met Opera in May 1966 and were first raised to the ceiling on Sept. 16, 1966.

(left) Hans Harald Rath of J. & L. Lobmeyr presents his Met Opera starburst chandeliers to James W. Riddleberger, U.S. Ambassador to Austria, during a handover ceremony of Austria’s official gift, held in 1966 at J. & L. Lobmeyr’s flagship in Vienna, Austria; (right) J. & L. Lobmeyr’s Met Auditorium chandelier: Wallpaper* @wallpapermag, via Twitter May 23, 2016

Lobmeyr’s starburst chandeliers were installed at the Metropolitan Opera in May 1966 and were first officially raised to the ceiling of the opera house’s auditorium on Friday, Sept. 16, 1966.

The inaugural season for the Metropolitan Opera’s new home in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts began with the Friday, Sept. 16, world premiere of Antony and Cleopatra by 20th-century American composer Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910-Jan. 23, 1981). Italian film, opera and television director and producer Franco Zeffirelli (Feb. 12, 1923-June 15, 2019) created the English libretto in collaboration with the opera’s composer. In addition to directing the new production, Zeffirelli designed the opera’s costumes and sets.

The resplendent new opera house welcomed opening night attendees with 11 glittering chandeliers in the lobby. Lobby chandeliers were a preview of the 21 dazzling chandeliers that could be coordinated for raising and lowering with the 3,800-seat auditorium’s stage curtain. The chandeliers were designed as constellations of crystal starbursts.

The Metropolitan Opera’s starburst chandeliers originated as a gift from the Republic of Austria. The chandeliers were designed and constructed under the direction of Hans Harald Rath (March 2, 1904-1968) of J. and L. Lobmeyr. Hans journeyed from Austria to New York in July 1963 to confer with the new opera house’s architect, Wallace K. Harrison (Sept. 28, 1895-Dec. 2, 1981) of Harrison & Abramovitz.

Josef Lobmeyr Sr. (March 17, 1792-May 8, 1855) founded a small glass shop in central Vienna’s Hotel Kaiserin von Österreich (Empress of Austria) on Weihburggasse in 1823. His expanding business induced Joseph to relocate in 1824 to number 940 Kärntner Strasse (Carinthian Street).

The location of the company’s second commercial building, at the corner of Kärntner Strasse and Weihburggasse, was on the diagonally opposite corner from the first commercial site. The business, which eventually encompassed the entire block, remained there for 72 years. J. & L. Lobmeyr’s current location maintains the glassware company’s presence on Kärntner Strasse, with occupancy at number 26.

On Aug. 19, 1827, Josef married Aloisia Dobrafsky (born Dec. 6, 1803). The couple had four children: Josef Jr. (Feb. 1, 1828-June 2, 1864), Ludwig (Aug. 2, 1829-March 25, 1917), Franz Ferdinand (Oct. 15, 1830-June 4, 1903), Louise (April 25, 1832-Oct. 3, 1905) and Mathilde (March 14, 1839-April 17, 1914). Louise became the second wife of widowed Bohemian glass manufacturer Wilhelm Ritter Kralik (Dec. 17, 1806-May 9, 1877) on May 28, 1851. Mathilde married Viennese businessman August Rath (Sept. 23, 1832-March 29, 1925) on Aug. 26, 1862.

Josef’s oldest son, Josef Jr. succeeded his father in the family business in 1885. On Oct. 12, 1859, younger brother Ludwig (Aug. 2, 1829-March 25, 1917) became a partner in the firm. On April 21, 1860, the two brothers registered the company under the new, and still current, name of J. and L. Lobmeyr.

Josef Jr. expanded the company’s reach by exporting chandeliers. The company’s new markets included America, Egypt, India and Turkey. In 1864, Josef Jr. died suddenly from an illness that he had contracted in Egypt. Josef’s premature death left Ludwig as sole proprietor of the family business.

In 1902, Ludwig passed the company’s directorship to his nephew Stefan Rath Sr. (May 19, 1876-1960), Mathilde’s son. In 1903, Stefan Sr. married Marianne Salcher (1880-Sept. 27, 1911). The couple had twins, Hans Harald and Marianne, born March 2, 1904. In his contribution to the family history, Lobmeyr 1823, edited by Peter Rath, Hans Harald’s son, Harald, says that his grandfather never recovered from his wife’s premature death from pneumonia at age 31 (page 64).

Stefan’s son Hans Harald Rath (March 2, 1904-1968) directed the firm from 1938 to 1968. He married English cellist Janet Constance Street (born April 25, 1911) on April 24, 1937.

After Hans Harald’s death in a train accident in 1968, his three sons, Harald (born 1938), Peter (born 1939) and Stefan Jr. (born 1943), became co-directors. Peter retired in 1995. Harald retired in 1999. Stefan Rath Jr. jointly directed the company with Peter’s son Leonid.

Now, in the 21st century, J. & L. Lobmeyr is experiencing the company’s sixth generation of family ownership with three cousins at the helm. Harald’s son Andreas, Peter’s son Leonid and Stefan’s son Johannes became co-directors in 2000.

Hans Harald Rath considered the starburst chandeliers that he created for the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center to be the culmination of his life’s work, according to his son Peter’s chapter on his father in the family history published in 1998 (page 92).

The takeaways for the installation of Lobmeyr’s starburst chandeliers at Met Opera in May 1966 are that the chandeliers were gifts of the Austrian government, that the glassware firm’s director, Hans Harald Rath, considered the chandeliers to be his crowning glory and that J. & L. Lobmeyr’s has remained under same family ownership for six generations.

Hans Harald Rath, fourth-generation owner of family glassware firm J. & L. Lobmeyr, designed 11 lobby and 21 auditorium starburst chandeliers for the new Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center; the first raising and lowering of his chandeliers occurred during the opera house's Grand Opening, for the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, on Sep. 16, 1966: J. & L. Lobmeyr @lobmeyr, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2009

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

(left) Hans Harald Rath of J. & L. Lobmeyr presents his Met Opera starburst chandeliers to James W. Riddleberger, U.S. Ambassador to Austria, during a handover ceremony of Austria’s official gift, held in 1966 at J. & L. Lobmeyr’s flagship in Vienna, Austria; (right) J. & L. Lobmeyr’s Met Auditorium chandelier: Wallpaper* @wallpapermag via Twitter May 23, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/wallpapermag/status/734944339332325376

Hans Harald Rath, fourth-generation owner of family glassware firm J. & L. Lobmeyr, designed 11 lobby and 21 auditorium starburst chandeliers for the new Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center; the first raising and lowering of his chandeliers occurred during the opera house's Grand Opening, for the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, on Sep. 16, 1966: J. & L. Lobmeyr @lobmeyr, via Facebook Feb. 19, 2009, @ https://www.facebook.com/lobmeyr/photos/a.69778512253/69833152253/

For further information:

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kyna leski ‏@kynaleski. “My Dad, Architect, Designer at Harrison and Abramovitz and of the MET Opera Chandeliers his story @MetOpera #Met50 https://medium.com/@kynaleski/genesis-the-chandeliers-of-the-metropolitan-opera-house-2090ee74690e . . .” Twitter. May 7, 2017.
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Marriner, Derdriu. “Antony and Cleopatra Was Franco Zeffirelli’s Second Met Opera Production.” Earth and Space News. Monday, June 8, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/06/antony-and-cleopatra-was-franco.html

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The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Another sputnik lowered for cleaning! This cluster is suspended over the grand staircase and reflects natural light from the plaza even when it's not turned on. Follow us on Instagram for behind the scenes content all summer long! @metopera https://instagram.com/metopera/.” Facebook. July 13, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10155888987000533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “It's cleaning day in the opera house! Each summer the chandeliers are lowered for an annual inspection--nothing goes unchecked! Light bulbs are changed, the crystal is polished to perfection, and general repairs are made to keep these sputniks in tip top shape all season long. Check us out on Instagram for more behind the scenes content all summer long! Follow @metopera www.instagram.com/metopera.” Facebook. July 7, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/a.134969600532/10155865993720533/

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Today, we’re shining a light on our famous “Sputnik” chandeliers. A gift from the Austrian government for the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, they were designed and installed by J. & L. Lobmeyr, a renowned Viennese crystal and chandelier company. To celebrate the Met’s 125th-anniversary season in 2008, Lobmeyr gave the chandeliers a stunning makeover, dismantling the fixtures and replacing the original crystals with brand-new ones by Swarovski. Photo by Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera.” Facebook. Aug. 1, 2019.
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