Sydney Opera House is the opera house of Sydney, the largest city in Australia, which has become almost the main attraction of the whole country. The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous structures on the planet and a masterpiece of modern architecture. Since 2007, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building has also been nominated for inclusion in the Seven New Wonders of the World.
History of the construction of the Sydney Opera House
The idea of building an opera house in Sydney was suggested by British conductor Eugene Goossens, who visited the city in 1952. He was supported by the New South Wales state government, which intended to make the capital a tourist destination. At Goossens' insistence, the site was decided to be Cape Bennelong Point in Port Jackson Harbour.
In 1954, an international competition for designs for the opera building was announced, with 220 entries from 32 countries. Initially it was assumed that the theatre would have two large halls - opera and concert halls. The greatest interest of the jury members was aroused by the project of Danish architect Jorn Utzon, who saw the planned theatre in the form of a multi-sail ship. The discussion of his proposal lasted several years. Finally, in 1957, Jorn Utzon was declared the winner and was awarded £5,000 for his design.
Construction started even before the results of the competition were officially announced. It progressed very slowly. Bad weather, new demands from the city authorities, the need for technical fine-tuning of some aspects of the project and ongoing disputes over the details of its realisation all interfered.
The construction of the project started before the official announcement of the tender.
In 1965, the new state government tightened control and narrowed the authority of the project's author. Dissenting, Utzon withdrew and left Sydney in 1966, to which he never returned. He never saw his creation completed.
After him, construction was carried out by local architects led by Peter Hall. His team made several significant changes to Utzon's design:
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adding podium cladding;
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transparent interior walls instead of plywood cladding;
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the main hall was converted into a concert hall and the small hall became the main opera hall;
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new solutions in the field of acoustics.
Most experts believe that the interior of the building, already built without Utzon, is considerably inferior to the facade. And the repurposing of the halls led to subsequent complaints about the Opera Hall's small capacity.
The interior of the building, designed to take four years to complete, was delayed by 10 years. The total construction cost, instead of the planned AUD (Australian dollars) 7 million, was over 100 million. The huge cost was covered by a nationwide lottery.
The Sydney Opera House opened in October 1973 with the presence of Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II, who was also the head of Australia. Utzon, who was awarded a gold medal by the Australian Institute of Architects, declined to attend the opening ceremony. His name was not mentioned in the speeches.
After a considerable time, in 1998, the state government invited Utzon to restore the building. He drew up a design for the renovation of the Reception Hall, which later came to bear his name. The father's project was realised by Jorn's son Jan, also an architect.
Main architectural solutions
Photo: Squirrel_photos. Source: Pixabay
The 161,000-tonne building rests on 580 concrete piles driven into the bottom. The area occupied by the structure is more than 20 thousand square metres. The length of the theatre is 183 m, width - 118 m, maximum height - 67 m.
The Sydney Opera House is built in an original style, which can be called architectural expressionism. From a distance it looks like a huge sailing ship in the city's bay. The dominant position is dominated by a 150 metre diameter roof in the form of a set of different-sized sails. The two largest of them are the roofs of the main halls - the concert and opera halls. Under the smallest sail is the Bennelong restaurant. The varying roof heights caused acoustic problems. These were eliminated by means of a special sound-reflecting ceiling.
The roof-sails of the 1.62 hectare building are clad with more than one million Portuguese azulejo ceramic tiles. Matte cream tiles were laid along the edges and white polished tiles in the centre. This is how the architect "brought the roof to life": it changes its colour depending on the falling sunlight, clouds and night lighting.
Opera inside
Photo: Jason Tong. Source: Wikipedia
There are hundreds of rooms inside the theatre. In addition to the profile theatre, there are many shops, restaurants and cafes. The six main auditoriums include.
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Concert Hall, which seats 2,679 people. The 17x11 metre stage can be expanded by dismantling 85 seats. The hall is equipped with one of the largest organs in the world".
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The Opera Theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,547. Its huge "Sun" curtain tapestry is the largest on the planet.
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Drama Theatre has a 544-seat auditorium. This is where theatre and dance performances take place. Its dark tapestry curtain is referred to as the "Moonlight Curtain".
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The Playhouse auditorium, which seats 398. It is designed for film screenings, lectures and compact theatre productions. If necessary, the stage can be enlarged with 46 seats.
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The Studio Room, which can accommodate up to 364 lovers of contemporary plays, music and corporate events.
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Jorn Utzon Hall.
Interesting facts
Subsequently, Utzon's labour was still recognised. In 1985, the master received the highest "Order of Australia" and the keys to the city of Sydney. In 2003, he became a Doctor of Architecture at the University of Sydney. Finally, he was awarded the highest architectural honour, the Pritzker Prize.
In the official logo of the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney, the silhouettes of the roof of the theatre can be seen. The route of the Olympic torch also passed through the theatre.
It is not difficult for a stranger to get lost in the huge complex. What happened once with the courier, who came out with a parcel right on the stage, on which the performance was going on. The situation was saved by a resourceful actor who expressed his joy at the "delivery of the parcel". The audience did not suspect anything.
The sets of Mussorgsky's opera "Boris Godunov" involved real chickens. One of them "did not justify confidence" and flew from the stage on the head of one of the musicians. After this incident, the orchestra pit was covered with netting.
The Sydney Opera House is the only one in the world to have a play about itself in its repertoire. Such is the opera "The Eighth Wonder".
Visiting
The Opera House is the centre of Sydney's cultural life. It hosts thousands of events each year - concerts, opera, theatre and dance productions, film screenings, exhibitions, meetings, programmes for children and the visually and hearing impaired. On the official website you can see the repertoire and order tickets.
City buses 9, 12, 25, 27, 36 and 49 stop near the Opera House. Everyone is free to explore the foyer of the theatre or visit the Bennelong Restaurant and Bar.
Many tourists experience the theatre on the hour-long The Sydney Opera House Tour, organised daily from 9am to 5pm. They are priced at AUD 43. There are other options of excursions, combined with breakfast, lunch or tasting of local dishes. It is possible and evening combined visit performance + tour + "profile" dinner". Example: Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" + excursion + dinner at the Mozart Café.
