In 2012 it has been 275 years since the death of Antonio Stradivari (Stradivarius in Latin). To mark this important anniversary and pay tribute to the most superlative string instrument maker the world has ever seen, Vichy Catalán has produced a limited edition label featuring the perfect violin, the violin made by Italian luthier Stradivarius. Within the next few days, all bottles of Vichy Catalán will share this new, musical image that will help to highlight the superb character and quality of one of the most prestigious brands of water on the European mineral water market. The unique, exceptional sound of this jewel of design, the acoustics, engineering and geometry make the instruments created by Stradivarius impossible to copy and objects of desire for great violin virtuosos. As well as violins - the jewel in the crown of the Stradivarius workshop, this artist in wood also manufactured violas, cellos, guitars and a harp. He fashioned more than 1,100 instruments, approximately 650 of which still survive. One of the world´s two most significant Stradivarius collections is kept at the Palacio Real de Madrid (Stradivarius Palatinos) and the other is in the Library of Congress in Washington in the United States. This consummately elegant label pays homage to the ´´genius of Cremona´´. On the right hand side there is a picture of a Stradivarius violin showing the superb design of some essential parts of the instrument such as the sounding board, the f-shaped openings (through which the name of the artist, his seal and the year and place of manufacture are visible), the bridge, strings, fingerboard and cordal.
One of the best-known images of Antonio Stradivarius, a romantic 19th century impression depicting the luthier examining a violin he has just finished making, appears on the left. Above the image of Stradivarius, is the personal seal with which he marked all his instruments –a double circle with an A and an S that encircle a type of cross–, his name and the legend ´´Cremona 1644 -1737, 275 aniversario´´.
All these elements –violin, seal and the portrait of the master cabinetmaker– are arranged around the centre of the label, which contains the classic graphic with the historic logo at the top on a creamy, white background. As usual, the bottom of the new label shows the medals awarded to the brand. The label on the back of the bottle also showcases the image of this exceptional violin maker and other string instruments, his seal and a small text recognising his great contribution to the world of music. The new Stradivarius label from Vichy Catalán was unveiled on 2nd March in the Foyer of the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona before an audience of more than 500 people, including Vichy Catalán´s main distributors in Spain and representatives of guilds and associations from the food, hotel and catering sector from all over the country. QR code and six-bottle packs The new musical-themed image on the labels for Vichy Catalan natural carbonated mineral water is used on the whole range of re-useable 1 litre, 500 ml and 250 ml catering sector bottles, as well as the 1 litre and 250 ml versions sold in shops. Stradivarius violins will also be on the packs containing six 250 ml bottles. These packs have another new feature: a QR code that stores information on the Vichy Catalán Facebook page, which you can now visit with a single click from your smartphone (the device must incorporate specific qr-code reader software).
This tribute to Antonio Stradivarius is part of the Vichy Catalán Group´s policy to give prestige to its most representative products by featuring artistic themes. Vichy Catalán labels have paid homage to the musical genius of Mozart and Albéniz, master painters such as Dalí and Gauguin, and the world´s greatest literary achievements including Don Quixote and El Cantar del Mío Cid. In fact the Vichy Catalán group is the only company in the food sector that has an ongoing policy of this type.
Vichy Catalán, the domestic market leader in natural carbonated mineral waters, is a favourite among leading restaurateurs and consumers in Spain. Its consistent quality over its 131 year history and mineral and medicinal properties are well known everywhere. Vichy Catalán is also concerned about consumer health: a number of scientific studies performed by the Spanish Scientific Research Council (CSIC) in recent years showing that consuming this water on a regular basis can reduce total LDL or ´bad´ cholesterol levels. These studies were carried out with risk groups (post-menopausal women) and groups of healthy young men and women aged between 18 and 35 years.
Barcelona, 22nd March 2012 |
