Sydney Opera House features. Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

The Sydney Opera House has its own unique futuristic architecture, thanks to which it has become famous throughout the world. Local residents have dubbed it not only one of the city’s iconic landmarks, but even business card Sydney. This love is shared by travelers who, during a close acquaintance with this temple of art, instantly develop respect for it. One of the most recognizable buildings on the planet hosts the world's best artists and attracts more than 8 million visitors annually.

In March 1959, townspeople gathered at the harbor at Bennelong Point to watch a ceremony that marked the start of construction. Sydney Theater operas. Danish architect Jorn Utzon, who developed the project for the future building, brought a bronze tablet to Australia - on that day it was installed at the intersection point of the axes of the two proposed concert halls, and from that moment work on the construction of the architectural masterpiece began. The memorial plaque can still be seen today on the steps of the theater. When coming up with the appearance of the building, Jorn created something completely unusual: according to his idea, the roof of the building was supposed to consist of several spheres, which gave the façade of the theater the image of a ship sailing under sails. This solution made it possible to create amazing acoustics within its walls.

Initially, it was planned to complete construction within four years, but due to many reasons, the implementation of the bold project was delayed for fourteen. A large number of complications led to growing dissatisfaction with Jorn Utzon, who was not satisfied with the amendments made original version changes. The offended architect left his team without seeing the final result. The young specialist appointed to his place, Peter Hall, was initially stunned by the scale of the project, but still took on the difficult task.
In 1973 it took place significant event— Sydney Opera theatre opened its doors. The celebration turned out to be grandiose, especially thanks to the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, who officially announced the start of the new cultural mecca and praised the craftsmen for their amazing imagination and talent.

There are four main rooms in the theater, designated for different events. The largest is the concert hall - enchanting concerts take place here symphonic music with the participation of one of the largest bodies in the world. Next in capacity comes the opera hall (also known as the ballet hall), which is inferior to the first by 1,000 seats, accommodating 1,500 people within its walls. The remaining two can accommodate 400-500 people, and they are intended for dramatic performances. Each one has the usual theater ambience: a red velvet curtain and seats of the same shade, an elegant crystal chandelier pouring soft light- a worthy design for an outstanding opera house.

It is important to note that the doors of this temple of art are also open to young people: within the walls of the theater are held musical performances various rock/indie/techno bands, as well as performances by illusionists and Christmas themed events.

History of construction

223 architects competed for the right to design the Sydney Opera House. In January 1957, the design of the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was announced as the winner of the competition, and two years later the first stone was laid on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour. According to preliminary calculations, the construction of the theater should have taken 3-4 years and cost $7 million. Unfortunately, soon after the work began, many difficulties arose, which forced the government to deviate from Utzon’s original plans. And in 1966, Utzon left Sydney after a particularly major quarrel with city authorities.

A team of young Australian architects took responsibility for completing the construction. The New South Wales government played a lottery to raise money to continue the work. And on October 20, 1973, the new Sydney Opera House was inaugurated. Instead of the planned 4 years, the theater was built in 14, and it cost 102 million dollars.

Video: Laser show at the Sydney Opera House

Architectural features

The Sydney Opera House building is 183 m long and 118 m wide, covering an area of over 21,500 sq. m. m. It stands on 580 concrete piles driven to a depth of 25 m into the clayey bottom of the harbor, and its grandiose dome rises 67 m in height. To cover the entire surface of the dome, more than a million glazed, pearl-like, snow-white tiles were used.

The building houses 5 theaters: the Great Concert Hall with 2,700 seats; own theater for 1,500 seats or less Theatre of Drama, gaming and theater studio for 350 and 500 seats each. The complex has more than a thousand additional office premises, including rehearsal rooms, 4 restaurants and 6 bars.

Data

Location: The Sydney Opera House is located on Bennelong Head on Sydney Harbour, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Its architect is Jorn Utzon.
Dates: The first stone was laid on March 2, 1959. The first performance took place on September 28, 1973, followed by the official opening of the theater on October 20, 1973. The entire construction took 14 years and cost $102 million.
Dimensions: The Sydney Opera House building is 183 m long and 118 m wide, covering an area of over 21,500 sq. m. m.
Theaters and number of seats: the building houses 5 separate theaters with total number more than 5,500 places.
Dome: The unique dome of the Sydney Opera House is covered with more than a million ceramic tiles. The complex is supplied with electricity using 645 km of cable.

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous buildings of the 20th century and is by far Australia's most popular architectural structure in the style. It is located on Sydney Harbour, close to the huge Harbor Bridge. The unusual silhouette of the Sydney Opera House resembles a row of sails soaring above the surface of the sea. Now smooth lines are found quite often in architecture, but it was the Sydney Theater that became one of the first buildings on the planet with such a radical design. His distinguishing feature- a recognizable form that includes a number of identical “shells” or “shells”.

The history of the theater's creation is full of drama. It all started in 1955, when the state government of which Sydney is the capital announced an international architectural competition. From the very beginning, the construction was entrusted big hopes– it was planned that the implementation of an ambitious project to create a new magnificent theater would serve as an impetus for the development of culture on the Australian continent. The competition attracted the attention of many famous architects around the world: the organizers received 233 applications from 28 countries. As a result, the government chose one of the most striking and unusual projects, the author of which was the Danish architect Jorn Utzon. An interesting designer and thinker in search of new expressive means, Utzon designed a building that seemed to “come from the world of fantasy,” as the architect himself said.

In 1957, Utzon arrived in Sydney, and two years later construction of the theater began. There were many unforeseen difficulties associated with the start of work. It turned out that Utzon's project was not sufficiently developed, the design as a whole turned out to be unstable, and the engineers could not find an acceptable solution to implement the bold idea.

Another failure is an error in the construction of the foundation. As a result, it was decided to destroy the original version and start all over again. Meanwhile, the architect attached paramount importance to the foundation: in his design there were no walls as such, the roof vaults rested directly on the plane of the foundation.

Initially, Utzon believed that his idea could be realized quite simply: make sinks from reinforcing mesh, and then cover them with tiles on top. But calculations showed that this method would not be suitable for a giant roof. The engineers tried different shapes- parabolic, ellipsoidal, but all to no avail. Time passed, money melted, customer dissatisfaction grew. Utzon, in despair, drew tens again and again various options. Finally, one fine day, it dawned on him: his gaze accidentally stopped at orange peels in the form of the usual triangular segments. This was the very form that the designers had been looking for for so long! Roof vaults, which are parts of a sphere of constant curvature, have the necessary strength and stability.

After Utzon found a solution to the problem with the roof vaults, construction resumed, but the financial costs turned out to be more significant than originally planned. According to preliminary estimates, the construction of the building required 4 years. But it took 14 long years to build. The construction budget was exceeded by more than 14 times. Customers' dissatisfaction grew so much that at a certain point they removed Utzon from work. The brilliant architect left for Denmark, never to return to Sydney. He never saw his creation, despite the fact that over time everything fell into place, and his talent and contribution to the construction of the theater was recognized not only in Australia, but throughout the world. The interior design of the Sydney Theater was done by other architects, so between appearance buildings and its interior decoration you can feel the difference.

As a result, the roof segments, seemingly crashing into each other, were made of precast and monolithic reinforced concrete. The surface of the concrete “orange peel” was lined a huge amount tiles made in Sweden. The tiles are coated with a matte glaze, allowing the roof of the Sydney Theater to be used today as a reflective screen for video art and the projection of vibrant images. The roof panels of the Sydney Opera House were built using special cranes ordered from France - the theater was one of the first buildings in Australia to be erected using cranes. And the highest “shell” of the roof corresponds to the height of a 22-story building.

Construction of the Sydney Opera House was officially completed in 1973. The theater was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, the grand opening was accompanied by fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The first performance performed in the new theater was S. Prokofiev’s opera “War and Peace”.

Today the Sydney Opera House is the largest Cultural Center Australia. It hosts more than 3 thousand events annually, and has an annual audience of 2 million viewers. The theater program includes an opera called “The Eighth Miracle”, which tells about difficult history construction of the building.

Sydney Opera House - Outstanding architectural structure XX century It was nominated for the title of a new wonder of the world, and was among the finalists. Listed by UNESCO, this building is a popular tourist attraction in Australia.

The Sydney Opera House is located in the local harbor, on Cape Bennelong point. The building was built on 580 concrete piles driven into the bottom. Its length is 183 m, width - 118, and occupied area - more than 21.5 thousand m2. The maximum height of the building is 67 m.

Interesting Facts about the Sydney Opera House relate not only to the history of construction and architectural implementation (we will discuss them below). No other theater has a work about him in its repertoire. The opera “The Eighth Miracle” is the only precedent.

History of the Sydney Opera House

Sydney until the middle of the 20th century. did not have an opera house at all. Guest conductor of the local symphony orchestra Eugene Goosens considered this situation unacceptable. The Sydney authorities agreed with him, but did not have the funds for construction. In 1954, they launched a fundraiser that lasted two decades. During this period, approximately AUD 10,000,000 was collected. The initially declared cost of the construction of 7,000,000 AUD ultimately turned out to be 10,200,000 AUD actually spent.

According to the terms of the announced competition, the limited territory of Cape Bennelong was designated as the site for the construction of the theater. The main hall with 3 thousand seats of the designed building was reserved for opera and ballet. The small hall for 1200 spectators was planned for chamber theater and musical performances. Among 233 competitors, the young Danish architect Jorn Utson won. According to his design, the building externally resembled a multi-sail ship on the surface of the water surrounding the cape.

The work, which began in 1959, lasted 14 years instead of the planned four, extending the construction date until 1973. The delay had both objective and subjective reasons. The first includes the authorities' requirement to add two additional halls. And the sail-shaped roof shells originally designed by Jörn Utson had acoustic disadvantages. It took the architect several years to find an alternative technical solution. The new vault turned out to be too heavy for the foundation made, and a new one had to be made.

Additional expenses and delays in construction strained Utson's relations with local authorities, and he left Sydney. In 1966, local architects continued construction. According to many experts, this had a negative impact on the interior of the building. The inside of the theater is significantly inferior to the stunning façade.

The new Sydney building actually opened on 28 September 1973 with Sergei Prokofiev's War and Peace. The official ceremony took place on October 20 with the participation of the British monarch Elizabeth II, who is the formal head of Australia.

The architect of the Sydney Opera House was not present at the opening, and was not even mentioned. His name is not on the authors’ bronze plaque at the entrance either. True, in the same year the local Institute of Architects awarded Jorn Utson a gold medal. And in 2003, he received the Pritzker Prize for his project, the highest award for architects.

In 1999, Jörn Utson nevertheless designed the reconstruction of the Reception Hall, which was later renamed in his honor. The work was led by Jorn's son, architect Jan Utson. And Jorn himself did not return to Sydney after 1966. He died in 2008 without ever seeing his famous creation. The floodlights illuminating the Sydney Opera House were turned off for an hour in memory of the great architect.

Sydney Opera House by its architect and architect

Opera houses are usually built in classic style. In contrast, the Sydney Opera House is a shining example architectural style expressionism. Unique roof in the shape of sails different sizes. Surrounded on three sides by water, the building from a distance looks like a large multi-sail ship moored in Sydney Harbor. This is exactly how the architect saw the future theater. He said that he wanted to take viewers away from their usual routine into a world of fantasy where actors and musicians live.

The area allocated for construction was limited. The projects rejected by the competition jury had a common drawback - cumbersomeness. Jorn Utson solved this problem by shifting attention to the architectural dominant of the building - the roof. Its total diameter is 150 m. The roof frame consists of 2 thousand concrete sections and weighs 30 tons. The two largest sails crown both main halls, originally conceived. Under the smallest sail is the Bennelong restaurant. The entire structure is secured with metal cables with a total length of 350 km.

The uneven roof height initially caused acoustic problems. They were removed using a sound-reflecting ceiling with special gutters. The last ones, except practical function, also served an aesthetic purpose, emphasizing the arches of the stage.

The top of the roof-sails is covered with white polished and creamy matte azulejo tiles (Portuguese tiles). It was specially made for the theater. Matte tiles predominate along the edges, while shiny ones in the center, which made it possible to create an iridescent effect. Over a million pieces of tile were required to cover a total area of 1.62 hectares. Mechanical method laying made it possible to achieve ideal evenness, unattainable with manual cladding.

Although the roof sails appear white from a distance, they change color depending on the lighting. As the architect said, the sun and clouds will make the roof come alive; you will never get tired of looking at it. He turned out to be right.

Sydney Opera House inside

The functional purpose of the main halls has undergone changes. The main hall, initially planned for opera and ballet performances, was decided to be repurposed as a concert hall. The opera hall itself became the second largest hall. Now the complex has 6 main halls.

Concert Hall (Concert) for 2679 spectators. It houses one of the world's largest organs with 10 thousand pipes. The stage measures 17*11 m and can be expanded to include 85 front seats.
Opera Theater (Opera) seats 1547 spectators. His tapestry curtain, called “Solar”, is the largest on the planet.
Drama Theatre, with a capacity of 544 spectators, is used for theater and dance performances. His dark tapestry curtain is called “Moonlight”.
Chamber events are held in the Playhouse hall with 398 seats. theatrical performances, lectures and film screenings. The hall's stage can be expanded in two stages, sacrificing 46 seats.
The Studio hall, opened in 1999, can accommodate 364 lovers of avant-garde plays, modern music or corporate events.
Jorn Utson's small hall is decorated with a wool tapestry in bright colors, woven according to his sketch.

The theater complex includes about a thousand different rooms. In addition to the halls, the building contains rehearsal rooms, theater platforms, sound recording studio, shops, cafes, restaurants and numerous other facilities. Man, no who knows the plan theater, it’s not difficult to get lost in it.

There is an anecdotal case with a novice courier who delivered a parcel. He got confused in the premises and ended up on stage during the performance. Fortunately, one of the actors was not taken aback and said: “Finally, the package was delivered!” Viewers considered his remark part of the plot.

Another comical incident occurred during the performance of Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov. Her decorations included real chickens. One of them flew from the stage onto the musician’s head. After that on top orchestra pit installed the mesh.

Theater tickets

The Sydney Opera House, Bennelong point, Sydney NSW 2000, hosts approximately three thousand cultural events, which attract millions of spectators. You can get acquainted with the repertoire and order tickets on the official website.

300 thousand tourists annually visit the theater as part of organized excursions. They are held from 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday, and last about an hour.

The cost of a regular excursion is 35 AUD. Evening excursions combined with a performance, as well as dinner in a restaurant or cafe, are also practiced. For example, a tour and Mozart's opera " magical flute", will complement dinner at the Mozart bistro well.

Without exaggeration, the Sydney Opera House can be called one of the most recognizable buildings in the world - who among us has not seen these sails or orange slices rising into the sky, growing directly from the waters of Sydney Harbor? Opened in 1973 by the Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II, today this Musical Theatre is a true symbol of Australia. Interestingly, this site on Bennelong Point was once home to first a fort and then a tram depot, until it was decided to build a theater in 1958.

History of construction

The creator of this outstanding building modern architecture became the Dane Jorn Utzon, who received the highest award in the world of architecture for his project - the Pritzker Prize. Construction of the theater was originally expected to take about 4 years and cost the Australian government AUD 7 million. However, due to the interior decoration of the premises, it dragged on for 14 years! Accordingly, the construction estimate increased to 102 million Australian dollars.

General information about the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House building covers an area of 2.2 hectares. Its maximum height is 185 meters, width is 120 meters. The famous theater roof consists of 2194 sections and weighs more than 27 tons! This entire seemingly airy structure is held in place by steel cables with a total length of 350 km. On top of the “shells” of the roof are covered with a million tiles of white and matte cream colors, which under different lighting create different color schemes.

There are 4 scenes inside the building. Main Concert hall accommodates 2,500 people at a time, and the opera hall is designed for 1,500 people. The other two halls are used for theatrical drama productions. In addition, the building has a cinema hall and two restaurants.

Over almost 40 years of operation, the Sydney Opera House has been visited by more than 40 million people, which is several times the population of the entire Australia. In 2007 he was listed World Heritage UNESCO.

On a note

Location: Bennelong Point, Sydney
Official website: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday from 9:00-19:30, Sunday from 10:00-18:00.
Tickets: The theater is free to enter during opening hours.