SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Description

Essentials about Sydney Opera House in brief

It is one of the most striking and famous buildings in the world and at the same time, together with the Harbour Bridge behind it, the landmark of Sydney and one of the landmarks of Australia – Sydney Opera House. Beautifully situated on a headland jutting out from the Royal Botanic Gardens into Sydney’s natural harbor, Port Jackson, the Opera House is a sensationally good and beautiful photo subject from both land and water and is definitely one of the most photographed buildings in the entire world. So, it’s no surprise that this spectacular structure has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.

The building of Sydney Opera House

The building is 184 meters long, 118 meters wide and covers an area of about 1.8 hectares. Its distinctive roof, shaped like several sails, rises 67 meters high and is covered with 1,100,000 glazed white ceramic tiles specially imported from Sweden. 580 piles anchored 25 meters deep in the ground support the structure, which weighs about 160,000 tons.

The halls of Sydney Opera House

The Opera House does not contain just one auditorium, but consists in total of five auditoriums with a total of over 5,500 seats: The largest auditorium is Concert Hall with nearly 2,700 seats, followed by the Joan Sutherland Theatre (the Opera Theatre) with about 1,500 seats. The three smaller halls are the Drama Theatre with about 500 seats, and the Playhouse and Studio Theatre with about 400 seats each. Furthermore, the Sydney Opera House houses rehearsal studios, four restaurants, six bars and some stores.

The history of Sydney Opera House

At the end of the 1940s, the idea matured in Sydney that the city should have an opera house. Bennelong Point, a peninsula in the harbor off the city on the other side of Sydney Harbour Bridge, completed in 1932, was chosen as the building site. Named after an Australian aborigine, the site had most recently been used as a streetcar repair center, but after this form of public transport lost out to motor traffic, it had degenerated into an industrial wasteland.

The international architectural competition, to which 233 proposals were submitted, was won in 1957 by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who was already renowned at the time. Utzon’s design did violate the competition rules, as he submitted only a rather rough sketch. Nevertheless, the choice of his design proved to be a stroke of luck, not only for Sydney, but also for world architecture. Starting in 1957, engineer Ove Arup and his partners prepared the structural calculations; Arup was also instrumental in the success of the project.

Construction work began in 1959. However, the curved shells of the roof in particular caused major problems, as their statics were difficult to calculate. New architectural territory was often broken, which is why the plans had to be adapted several times. The complex roof geometry alone was redesigned over twelve times in six years. Computers controlled by punch cards took 18 months to calculate the curvatures and statics of all the roofs. 44 draftsmen were employed to produce more than 1,700 plans of the roof structure.

Utzon was to start construction before all cost analyses and all technical problems had been solved. As a result, it was not possible to accurately calculate costs or plan the construction period. This contributed to the fact that the originally planned construction costs of seven million Australian dollars grew to over 100 million and the planned completion date for Australia Day on January 26, 1965 was delayed until the fall of 1973. Hamburgers reading this will probably be reminded of their Elbphilharmonie. Perhaps it is a small consolation that the Sydneysiders had the same fate a few decades earlier. As a reward, however, both cities now have a grandiose opera house and concert hall, respectively.

The rising construction costs, but also artistic differences, led to a falling out between the lead government of the Australian state of New South Wales and the architect. Eventually, Utzon’s funds were cut off and he could no longer pay his staff. Expecting to be asked back, Utzon left the site in February 1966. Utzon’s completely unexpected departure from Australia was the climax of the dispute, which was played out in public. Utzon never set foot on Australian soil again.

Instead, a group of young Australian architects was commissioned to complete the interiors. Utzon was convinced that the compromises made would ruin the work, and at the opening, critics and artists partially proved him right. In particular, the inexpensive execution of large parts of the interior and the acoustics were frequently criticized. Two-thirds of the orchestra pit in the opera house (Joan Sutherland Theatre) is now below the stage, as it was moved from the larger building to the smaller one. On October 20, 1973, the Opera House was officially dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II, Australia’s formal head of state. Beethoven’s Ninth with the Ode to Joy was performed for the opening.

Events at Sydney Opera House

Today, Sydney Opera House is one of the most popular tourist attractions and one of the largest cultural centers in the world. It hosts about 2,500 performances and events annually, with about four million visitors. Opera Australia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet as well as the Sydney Theatre Company have regular performances at the Sydney Opera House. Free concerts and other events are occasionally held as part of the Sydney Festival. Since 1978, the Opera House has been regularly included as an exhibition venue in the biennial Biennale of Sydney, a three-month international exhibition festival.

Visiting Sydney Opera House

Those wishing to attend a theater performance, concert, opera or dance event at Sydney Opera House can purchase their tickets directly at the Opera House Box Office or book online in advance. Those who are more of an opera and concert buff can still take a look at the Opera House during a one-hour guided tour, where participants can explore everything from the front house to the audience area and backstage.

The renovation of Sydney Opera House

In summer 2016, extensive renovation and redesign work began at the Sydney Opera House. Among other things, the exterior was redesigned to separate street traffic from pedestrians. In addition, the two main auditoriums were refurbished, among other things to improve the acoustics.