Ringing in the holiday season with distinctive note
“Toast Master,” a pair of huge robotic arms, was programmed to make a toast with two cognac glasses to produce a distinctive G-sharp note.
When two LOUIS XIII cognac glasses clinked together for a toast, they produced a very specific sound — a clear, extended G-sharp note.
French cognac producer LOUIS XIII's “Toast Master" features a pair of huge robotic arms, specially programmed to make toasts with two cognac glasses to produce the distinctive note.
Toast Master joined hands with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra to present “Symphony of Time” at Shanghai Symphony Hall to celebrate the holiday season on December 3.
The melodies guided the audience through a LOUIS XIII-style mind journey — walking close to the terroir of the Grande Champagne of Cognac, stepping into the house cellar, accompanied by the ups and downs of the rhythm and touching the joy of the harvest season.
After several well-known songs, the concert reached its climax with "One Note Prelude," a piece by Paris-based Israeli pianist Yaron Herman consisting only of the G-sharp note and played by the Toast Master's robotic arms.
The song began with a single piano note, later joined by strings playing the same note but at different octaves and with contrasting rhythms. A violin provided the main melody, while a second violin and a viola added color and harmony aided by a rhythmic cello bass line.
The G-sharp note rose to a crescendo, and in an instant there was utter silence. The Toast Master then made a toast with a pair of crystal glasses, leaving only the clear and melodious lingering G-sharp note.
Conductor Zhao Xiao'ou and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra perform "Symphony of Time."
