Sydney Opera House: interesting facts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Sydney Opera House (in English - Sydney Opera House) is a symbol of Australia's largest city and a landmark of the entire Australian continent. What can I say, even within the whole world, this is one of the most famous and easily recognizable buildings. The sail-like shells that form the roof of the theater make it unique and unlike any other building on Earth. Because the building is surrounded by water on three sides, it looks like a frigate sailing.

The Opera House, along with the famous Harbor Bridge, is the hallmark of Sydney, and, of course, all of Australia is proud of it. Since 2007, the Sydney Opera House has been considered a World Heritage Site and is under the protection of UNESCO. It is officially recognized as an outstanding building of world modern architecture.

History of Creation

The Sydney Opera House (see photo in the article) was opened in October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II of England. The Danish architect Jörn Utzon designed the building and in 2003 he received the Pritzker Prize for it. The project proposed by Utzon was very original, bright and beautiful, towering over the bayfan-shaped roofs gave the building a romantic look. As the architect himself explained, he was inspired to create such a project by the peel of an orange, cut into sectors, from which hemispherical and spherical figures could be made. Indeed, everything ingenious is simple! Experts noted that initially the project did not give the impression of a real architectural solution, but was more like a sketch. And yet it was brought to life!

Construction

On the site where the Sydney Opera House is now located (the territory of Cape Bennelong), until 1958 there was a simple tram depot. In 1959, the construction of the Opera began, but seven years later, in 1966, Jorn Utzon left the project. The architects from his team continued to work, and in 1967 the exterior decoration was completed. It took another six years to bring the building to perfection and complete the decorative work. Utzon was not even invited to the opening of the theater in 1973, and the bronze tablet located near the entrance to the building does not contain his name. Nevertheless, the Sydney Opera House itself serves as a monument to its author and creator; every year it attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. It is worth noting that the building is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Architecture

The building covers an area of 2.2 hectares, the length of the structure is 185 meters, and the width reaches 120 meters. The building as a whole weighs 161 thousand tons and stands on 580 piles, lowered to a depth of twenty-five meters into the water. Sydney Opera Housethe theater is made in the style of expressionism with an inherent innovative and radical design. The roof frame includes two thousand concrete sections, interconnected by steel cables. The entire roof is clad in beige and white ceramic tiles for an interesting movement effect.

Inside the theater

Sydney Opera has five main halls that host symphony concerts, theater and chamber performances, the building also has an opera and small drama stage, a theater studio, a drama theater, a simulated stage and the Utzon Room. The theater complex also contains other halls for various events, a recording studio, four gift shops and five restaurants.

• The main concert hall seats 2679 spectators and also houses the symphony orchestra.
• The opera stage is designed for 1547 seats, the Australian Ballet and the Australian Opera also function here.
• The Drama Theater seats up to 544 people and hosts performances by artists from the Sydney Theater Company and other groups.
• The Small Drama Stage is perhaps the most comfortable hall of the Opera. It is designed for 398 spectators.
• The theater studio is a reconfigurable auditorium that can accommodate up to 400 people.

Sydney Opera House: interesting facts

- The largest theater curtain in the world hangs at the Opera, whichmade in France specially according to the sketch of the artist Coburn. It is called the "Sun and Moon Curtain", and each half is 93 square meters.

- The world's largest mechanical organ with 10.5 thousand pipes is located in the Main Concert Hall of the theater.

- The building's electricity consumption is equivalent to that of a city of 25,000 people. Every year, 15.5 thousand light bulbs are replaced here.

- The Sydney Opera House was built largely thanks to the proceeds from the State Lottery.

- Every year, the Opera hosts about three thousand concerts and other events, which are attended by up to two million spectators annually.

- The Sydney Opera House is open to the general public 363 days a year, except for Christmas and Good Friday. On other days, the Opera operates around the clock.

- Although the stepped roof of the Opera is very beautiful, it does not provide the necessary acoustics in the concert halls. The solution to the problem was the construction of separate ceilings that reflect the sound.

- The theater has its own opera written about it. Its name is "The Eighth Wonder".

- Paul Robeson was the first singer to perform on stage at the Sydney Opera House. Back in 1960, when the theater was under construction, he climbed onto the stage and sang "Ol' Man River" to the diners.

- In 1980, Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Main Concert Hall of the theater received the title of "Mr. Olympia" in bodybuilding competitions.

- In 1996, whenThe Crowded House group gave a farewell concert to the Sydney Opera House, the largest number of spectators in the history of the theater was recorded. This concert was televised all over the world.

In conclusion

The Sydney Opera House is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. On both sides of the ocean, many people conclude that this is the most beautiful and outstanding structure that was built in the twentieth century. It's hard to disagree with this statement!