“A Symphony for your Senses”: concert evening at the harbour of Monaco with BMW, Steinway & Sons and Edmiston Yachts.
Munich / Monaco. The Monaco Yacht Show 2011 on the Cote d’Azur is one of the most exclusive yacht shows in the world. Framed by this luxurious event, the BMW Group in cooperation with Steinway & Sons impressed their guests next to the 50-metre-long yacht “Papi du Papi”, owned by the international yacht broker Edmiston & Company.
Visitors were not only able to marvel at a young virtuoso sponsored by the “Steinway Young Artisits Programme”; in addition, two BMW Sedans took to the stage in the port of Monaco. They are part of the limited and exclusive Edition BMW Individual 7 Series Composition inspired by Steinway & Sons.
The Monaco Yacht Show is one of the most prestigious gathering of large ships with over 100 exceptional super and mega-yachts from 25 to over 90 meters in length. The show offers over 40 of the most beautiful yachts built in 2011 with an average size of approximately 44 meters in length.
Over 80 percent of the visitors are from abroad coming from over 36 countries. The event offered the perfect frame for BMW and Steinway & Sons to present two premium brands with the highest quality standards and a passion for detail. The special-edition BMW Individual 7 Series Composition embodies the desire of both brands to combine asthetics, comfort and technical precision.
Half sedan, half piano. Complete luxury.
In the Hamburg manufactory of Steinway & Sons the special limited-edition
model experienced its world premiere in November.
The luxury sedans of the BMW Individual 7 Series Composition inspired by Steinway & Sons express the aesthetics, quality and exclusivity which both brands embody. A design style with a commitment to perfection is the hallmark both of vehicle production at BMW Individual and of upright and grand piano manufacturing at Steinway & Sons.
The BMW Individual 7 Series Composition inspired by Steinway & Sons will be presented in two perfectly coordinated colour variants.
Both the exterior and the interior design are modelled on the colours of the piano keyboard and its contrast between black and white. At the same time, the paint finish – which comes in a choice of black or white – and upholstery and surface materials are the result of a design and build quality that is unique worldwide and has been developed specifically for this special edition. Adding an even more exclusive touch, precise highlight details complete the sophisticated appearance.
The exclusive look of the luxury sedans in the special edition BMW Individual 7 Series Composition inspired by Steinway & Sons is characterised by top-quality craftsmanship and the use of exquisite materials. To ensure a flawlessly sparkling body finish, the luxury sedans undergo a highly complex multi-stage process.
Once the basic black or white paint has been applied, the body then receives three protective clear coats. Each individual layer is smoothed and polished by hand, resulting in a surface quality comparable to that of high-class piano lacquer and producing a similar sheen. Along with BMW Individual High-Gloss Shadow Line and 20-inch BMW Individual light-alloy wheels, the car is visually enhanced by a gold-coloured coachline running the full length of the vehicle.
Similarly, the interior features two different colour concepts. In combination with the Piano Finish Black exterior, the upholstery, door trim, centre console,
headliner and lower section of the instrument panel come in the colour variant Platinum.
For vehicles in Piano Finish White, the equivalent interior components
are available in Black. Piping and inlays in the relevant contrast colour provide additional highlights. Front and rear seats are upholstered in exceptional highquality BMW Individual fine-grain Merino leather, as are the door panels, centre console and parts of the instrument panel.
The stylish environment is rounded off with a headliner in Alcantara, black lambswool floormats and interior piping in Piano Finish Black from the BMW Individual range. Exclusive details documenting the Steinway & Sons partnership are visible, for example, in the piano manufacturer’s gold lettering on the chrome strip at the rear of the vehicle.
A further reference to the piano-maker can be found in the Sedan’s interior, where the headrests are embroidered with Steinway & Sons’ trademark golden lyre. Two cushions for rear passengers and a cashmere blanket embroidered with the lyre complete the luxurious interior.
The exclusively designed BMW Individual High End Audio System guarantees a globally unique combination of fascinating driving pleasure and authentic audio enjoyment. Specifically adapted to the interior of the luxury sedan, the system comprises 18 exceptional high-performance speakers and a digital 10-channel amplifier featuring Dirac Live technology.
Accompanying the BMW Individual High End Audio System is a collection of unique piano recordings from Steinway & Sons, featuring such renowned Steinway artists as Vladimir Horowitz, Martha Argerich and Maurizio Pollini. The CD collection can be housed in an exclusive nubuck leather case.
The key feature shared by the two vehicles on display is BMW ActiveHybrid technology. In the field of automotive drive systems this represents optimum harmony between an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The refined interplay between a V8 petrol engine and a 3-phase synchronous electric motor develops a system output of 342 kW/465 hp and maximum torque of 700 Newton metres.
The vehicles, produced as a special limited edition by BMW Individual, are built to customer specifications based on the normal or long-wheelbase versions of the luxury sedan. The two vehicles presented in Hamburg are powered by BMW ActiveHybrid technology. As an option, the BMW Individual 7 Series Composition inspired by Steinway & Sons is also available with any other engine variant from the BMW 7 Series range.
BMW Individual is synonymous with technical ambition and the desire for automotive perfection. It offers a holistic vehicle concept, with a broad range available to the customer for each model series. Customers are able to select and put together their own personal combination of high-quality materials, creating a harmonious composition of paints, leather and interior trim. Thanks to the design expertise of BMW Individual the results always achieve the highest aesthetic appeal.
Promotion of the virtuosi. Partnership with the piano manufactory
Steinway & Sons.
As part of an exclusive partnership and with effect from this year, the Munich based premium carmaker BMW supports the international talent programme of piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons. The aim of the joint initiative between BMW and Steinway & Sons is to promote and nurture young musicians at national and international level.
With production facilities in Hamburg and New York, the world-renowned manufacturer of upright and grand pianos has partnered authorised Steinway dealers for several decades in promoting piano competitions for children and young people up to the age of 17. The competitions enjoy considerable prestige and have already brought international recognition to a number of great artists.
Another key component of the company’s efforts to promote young musical talent is the International Steinway Festival, which takes place in Hamburg every two years. This festival brings together piano competition winners from the nine countries in which the competitions are currently held. The highlight of the event is the festival concert, which gives all the pianists an opportunity to showcase their skills and experience the concert environment in front of a large audience without the pressure of competition.
Cultural commitment of the BMW Group.
For almost 40 years, international cultural commitment has been a key element of the BMW Group’s corporate communications. Having played a role in over 100 events worldwide, the BMW Group’s commitment in the cultural sphere has always sought to preserve absolute freedom of creative potential – as much a prerequisite for groundbreaking works of art as for pioneering innovations in a successful commercial enterprise. The BMW Group focuses its cultural involvement on contemporary art and music, as well as on architecture and design.
The long-term joint venture between HamburgMusik gGmbH and BMW was announced in 2008, long before work on the spectacular Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt was scheduled to be completed. BMW not only committed itself to becoming the company’s first main sponsor, but also aims to be actively involved with the planning of its own creative projects.
