Where is the Sydney Opera House located. Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia). Opera House in Sydney

Sydney Opera House (English Sydney Opera House)- one of the most famous and easily recognizable buildings in the world, which is a symbol of Australia's largest city, Sydney, and one of the main attractions of Australia. The sail-shaped shells that form the roof make this building unlike any other in the world. The Opera House is recognized as one of the outstanding buildings of modern architecture in the world and since 1973, along with the Harbor Bridge, has been the hallmark of Sydney.

It is located in Sydney Harbour, at Bennelong Point. This place got its name from an Australian aborigine, a friend of the first governor of the colony. It is difficult to imagine Sydney without the Opera, but until 1958 there was an ordinary tram depot in its place, and before the depot there was a fort in this place.

The history of opera began on May 17, 1955, when the state government gave permission for the construction of the Sydney Opera House at Bennelong Point, on the condition that public funds were not needed. An international competition was announced for the design of the building, to which 223 works were sent - the world was clearly interested in a fresh idea.

But at the same time, it turned out to be very difficult to implement the idea, because it was necessary to fit two opera houses on a small plot of land measuring 250 by 350 feet, surrounded on three sides by water.

In 1957 Utson submitted a project to the Opera in Sydney and won. Nobody expected this, and he himself - in the first place. His project was a series of barely developed drawings, representing, in fact, only the general idea of ​​​​the Sydney Opera House Opera - theaters are placed close to each other, and the problem of walls is removed due to their absence: a series of fan-shaped white roofs is attached directly to the cyclopean podium. But the idea seemed brilliant to the jury.

Real design and construction began. This is a long business. By mid-1965, relations between the architect and the Australian government of Prime Minister Robert Askin had reached an impasse. Davis Hudges, Minister of Construction, accused Jorn Utson of being over budget, unprofessional, unrealistic, and failing to complete the project. Utson was removed from the project, left Australia and never returned there. The project was completed by local architects. Not even the opening of the Utson theater was called. His name was not mentioned anywhere. And in 1975, Davis Hudges was knighted.

It was planned that the construction of the theater would take four years and would cost seven million Australian dollars, but the opera was built for fourteen years and cost $102 million. At the same time, the work of so many years has borne fruit - so far the building has not required any repairs or modernization of the interior.

It cannot be said that the Sydney Opera House immediately became a wonder of the world. For some time, humanity has been eyeing her. Postmodern times were coming, and Utson's bright, desperate modernist attraction was of little concern to anyone. He was going through hard times. Today the name of this unfortunate Australian minister Hudges is remembered only in connection with the fact that he ruined the life of the great Utson. Then Utson gained a reputation as a person who draws projects that cannot be realized. He built only simple townhouses in his homeland, in Denmark, in Elsinore, and public buildings for the Arab countries. But neither the Parliament of Kuwait nor the Central Bank of Tehran became masterpieces - they constantly cut their budgets, reminding them of what happened in Sydney.

But in 2003 Jorn Utzon still deservedly received the Pritzker Prize for the project of the Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House was opened on October 20, 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II of England. The first performance in the new theater was the work of S. Prokofiev "War and Peace". Since then, the theater has held about 3,000 performances annually, watched by at least 2 million people.

The theater serves as the cultural center of Australia. Its nine hundred rooms housed the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera, the Sydney Theater Company, the Sydney Dance Company, and the Australian Ballet. In addition to the opera hall, there is also a concert hall, drama and chamber theater halls, 4 restaurants and a reception hall. The theater curtain woven in France is the largest in the world. The area of ​​each half of this miracle curtain is 93 m2. The record holder is also the huge mechanical organ of the concert hall - it has 10,500 pipes!

The Sydney Opera House is one of the architectural wonders of the world, perhaps the most famous building of the 20th century. The latest technology and mind-blowing design ideas still delight all guests to this day.

Concert hall- the largest room inside the Opera. White birch wood, vaulted ceiling, and special interior inserts are all used to enhance the acoustic effect. Seating capacity is 2679. The Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Philharmonic Choir, and the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra present a wide variety of musical performances, including performances by world-famous artists and singers.

The Sydney Opera House is an Expressionist building with a radical and innovative design. The architect is Dane Jörn Utzon, who won the Pritzker Prize for the project in 2003. The building covers an area of ​​2.2 hectares. Its height is 185 meters and the maximum width is 120 meters. The building weighs 161,000 tons and rests on 580 piles lowered into the water to a depth of almost 25 meters from sea level. Its power supply is equivalent to the electricity consumption of one city with a population of 25,000 people. Electricity is distributed over 645 kilometers of cable.

The roof of the opera house consists of 2,194 prefabricated sections, its height is 67 meters and the weight is more than 27 tons, the entire structure is supported by steel cables 350 kilometers long. The roof of the theater is formed by a series of "shells" of a non-existent concrete sphere 492 feet in diameter, commonly referred to as "shells" or "sails", although this is incorrect in terms of the architectural definition of such a structure. These "shells" are made of prefabricated, triangular concrete panels supported by 32 prefabricated ribs of the same material. All ribs form part of one large circle, which allowed the outlines of the roofs to have the same shape, and the whole building to have a complete and harmonious look.

The entire roof is covered with 1,056,006 azulejo tiles in white and matt cream. Although from a distance the structure seems to be made entirely of white tiles, under different lighting conditions the tiles create different color schemes. Thanks to the mechanical way of laying tiles, the entire surface of the roof turned out to be perfectly smooth, which would be impossible with manual coating. All tiles were produced by the Swedish factory Hoganas AB with self-cleaning technology, but despite this, work is regularly carried out to clean and replace some of the tiles. The interior of the building is finished with pink granite brought from the Tarana region (New South Wales), wood and plywood.

The two largest arches of shells form the ceiling of the Concert Hall and the Opera Theatre. In other rooms, the ceilings form clusters of smaller vaults.

The stepped structure of the roof was very beautiful, but created height problems inside the building, because the resulting height did not provide proper acoustics in the halls. To solve this problem, separate ceilings were made to reflect sound. The smallest shell, away from the main entrance and grand staircase, houses the Bennelong Restaurant.

Official website of the Sydney Opera House: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

One of the most interesting buildings of the 20th century is located in Australia. Built in 1957-1973, the building of the Opera House in Sydney, surrounded by water, strongly resembles a sailboat. The architect of the legendary building was Jorn Utson from Denmark.

Construction history

Until the middle of the 20th century, there was not a single building suitable for opera performances in Sydney. With the arrival of a new principal conductor at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Goossens, the issue has been voiced out loud.

But the creation of the newest building for opera and orchestral purposes did not become a matter of primary importance. At this time, the whole world was in a state of recovery after the war, the Sydney administration was in no hurry to start work, the project was frozen.

Funding for the construction of the Sydney Opera House began in 1954. They continued until 1975, in total, about 100 million dollars were collected.

Cape Bennelong was chosen as the site for one of the largest cultural structures. According to the requirements, the building was to have two halls. The first of them, designed for opera and ballet performances, as well as symphonic music, was supposed to accommodate about three thousand people. In the second, with dramatic performances and chamber music - 1200 people.

Jorn Utson, according to the commission, became the best architect out of 233 who sent their work. The inspiration for the creation of the project for him was the sailing ships standing in Sydney Harbor. It took the builders 14 years to complete the project.

Construction began in 1959. This is where problems started to arise. The government demanded to increase the number of halls from two to four. In addition, the designed wings-sails turned out to be impossible to implement, so it took several more years of experimentation to find the right solution. Because of the ongoing proceedings in 1966, Utson was replaced by a group of architects from Australia, led by Peter Hull.

On September 28, 1973, the Sydney Opera House opened its gates. The premiere was the production of the opera "War and Peace" by S. Prokofiev. The official opening ceremony was already held on October 20 in the presence of Elizabeth II.

Some numbers

The constructed opera immediately immortalized itself in history. This is really a huge complex containing 5 halls and about 1000 rooms for various purposes. The maximum height of the Opera House building is 67 meters. The total weight of the building is estimated at 161,000 tons.

Opera theater halls

1 hall

The largest hall of the Sydney Opera House is the Concert Hall. It accommodates 2679 visitors. There is also a large concert organ.

2 hall

For opera and ballet performances, the Opera Hall for 1547 spectators is used. In the hall there is the world's largest theatrical curtain tapestry "Curtain of the Sun".

3 hall

The Drama Hall seats 544 spectators. Drama and dance performances take place here. Here is another tapestry curtain, also woven in Aubusson. Due to its dark tones, it received the name "Curtain of the Moon".

4 hall

The Playhouse hall is designed for 398 spectators. It is intended for theatrical miniatures, lectures, as well as use as a cinema.

5 hall

The newest hall "Studio" was opened in 1999. 364 spectators here can see plays in the spirit of avant-garde.

Since 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been used almost around the clock without interruption. In addition to lovers of culture and art, the building is loved by thousands of tourists visiting Sydney. The Sydney Opera House has become a true symbol of Australia.

Video about the Sydney Opera House

Basic facts:

• DATE 1957-1973
• STYLE Expressionist modern
• MATERIALS Granite, concrete and glass
• ARCHITECT Jorn Utson
• The architect has never been in a finished theater

Yacht sails, bird wings, seashells - all this can come to mind when you look at the Sydney Opera House. It has become a symbol of the city.

Sparkling white sails rise into the sky, and a massive granite base seems to be anchored to a straight strip of land, washed by the waters of Sydney Bay on three sides.

An amazing opera house appeared in the city after it was decided in the early 1950s that the city needed a proper performing arts center. In 1957 Danish architect Jorn Utson (born 1918) won an international design competition.

But the decision was ambiguous, because the construction involved unprecedented technical complexity - the engineers who worked on the project called it "a structure that can hardly be built."

Controversy and crisis

Utson's project was unique. he broke a lot of rules. Therefore, new technologies were required for construction, they had yet to be developed. In 1959, construction began, and it is not surprising that disputes and difficulties arose along with it.

When the new government tried to use the growing costs and constant political overlays, Utson was forced to leave Australia, this was in early 1966. For several months, people thought that the empty shells on the concrete podium would remain a giant unfinished sculpture.

But in 1973 the construction was finally completed, the interiors did not take so much time. The opera house opened the same year, public support was strong, although Utson was not at the opening.

The building is made so that it can be viewed from any angle, even from above. In it, as in sculpture, you always see something elusive and new.

Three groups of connected shells hang over a massive base of granite slabs, where service areas are located - rehearsal and dressing rooms, recording studios, workshops and administrative offices. There is also a drama theater and a small stage for performances.

Two main halls are located in the two main shells - a large concert hall, over which a ceiling of round segments hangs, and an opera house hall, where opera and ballet are shown.

The third group of shells contains a restaurant. The height of the shells is up to 60 meters, they are supported by ribbed concrete beams, similar to fans, and the thickness of their concrete walls is 5 centimeters.

The sinks are covered with matte and glossy ceramic tiles. On the other hand, all the shells are covered with glass walls that look like glass waterfalls - from there, stunning views of the entire area open up. From all the halls of the theater you can go to the common room below. Both main concert halls can also be accessed from the outside via wide staircases.

The jury of the competition did not fail by choosing the project of the Sydney Opera House, although there are complex acoustics, and the simple atmosphere inside erases the impression of a masterpiece. Today, the Sydney Opera House is called one of the greatest buildings of the 20th century, the eighth wonder of the world, and it is almost impossible to imagine Sydney without it.

JORN UTSON

Jorn Utson was born in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, in 1918. He studied as an architect in Copenhagen from 1937 to 1942, and then went to study in Sweden and the USA, and work with.

Utson developed an architectural style known as additive architecture. Utson worked a lot at home, studied theory, but his name is forever associated with the Sydney Opera House (although the difficulties with this project hurt his career and almost broke the life of an architect).

He also built the National Assembly of Kuwait and became famous throughout the world as the creator of impressive modern buildings, in which modernism is complemented by natural forms. Utson received many awards for his work.

The jury members appreciated Utson's initial drawings, but for practical reasons, he replaced the original elliptical shell design with a design with uniform spherical fragments resembling an orange peel. Due to numerous problems, Utzon left the project, and work on the glazing and interior was completed by the architect Peter Hall. But Utson gained worldwide fame and was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2003. In 2007, the Sydney Opera House was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The tallest concrete panel shell is equivalent to a 22-story building in height. On the outside, the shell is covered in a chevron pattern of over a million cream-colored tile pieces interspersed with pink granite panels. The inside of the building is clad in Australian birch plywood.

Everyone knows that the Sydney Opera House is a real architectural symbol of the city, which elevated the architect Jorn Utzon (1918-2008) to the pinnacle of fame outside his native Denmark. After the end of World War II, Utson traveled around Europe, the United States and Mexico, got acquainted with the works of Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright, examined the ancient Mayan pyramids. In 1957, he won the competition for the best design of the Sydney Opera House, after which he moved to Australia. Construction work began in 1959, but he soon encountered problems with the roof structure and attempts by the new government to persuade him to use certain building material suppliers. In 1966, he left the project and returned to his homeland. He was not invited to the grand opening in 1973, however, despite this, he was offered to redesign the reception hall, called the Utson Hall (2004). Later, he participated in the restoration of other fragments of the building.

Utson's departure caused a lot of rumors and hostility, and the appearance of Hall to complete the Project was received with hostility. Hall is the author of other administrative buildings, such as Goldstein College at the University of New South Wales (1964).

In 1960, during the construction of the Sydney Opera House, American singer and actor Paul Robeson performed Ol Man River at the top of the scaffolding during a construction lunch break.

Location: Australia, Sydney
Building: 1959 - 1973
Architect: Jorn Utzon
Coordinates: 33°51"25.4"S 151°12"54.6"E

Short description

The whole world admires the building of the Sydney Opera House. Against the backdrop of skyscrapers and yachts, the theater looks like an elegant stone flower made of petal walls. Sometimes the domes of the building are compared with the wings of huge sea shells or wind-blown sails.

Sydney Opera House aerial view

The analogies are justified: this unusual building with a sail-like roof is located on a rocky promontory, crashing into the bay. The Sydney Opera House is known not only for its original roof structure, but also for its magnificent interiors, made in a futuristic style called “space age gothic”.

It is in the building of the Sydney Opera House that the world's largest theatrical curtain hangs - each of its halves is 93 sq.m. Sydney Theater boasts the world's largest organ, with 10,500 pipes.

The importance of the House of the Muses in Sydney's life cannot be overestimated. Under one roof there is a concert hall with 2679 seats and an opera house with 1547 seats. For dramatic and musical performances, there is a "small stage" - another hall designed for 544 spectators. There is also a cinema hall with 398 seats. The venue with a capacity of 210 people is used for conferences. The theater complex, which is visited annually by about 2 million people, is complemented by a recording studio, a library, art mini-halls, restaurants and cafes.

Sydney Opera House - a masterpiece of Danish architect

Utzon The English conductor and composer Eugene Goossens, who was invited to Sydney in 1945 to record a concert cycle, inspired the creation of the Sydney theater. The musician discovered that the inhabitants of the former British colony showed a keen interest in music, but there was no suitable hall for performances of opera and ballet on the entire continent.

In those days, concerts were held in the city hall, whose architecture resembled a "wedding cake" in the style of the Second Empire, with poor acoustics and a hall for 2.5 thousand listeners. "The city needs a new theater that all of Australia would be proud of!" said Sir Eugene Goossens.

880 specialists from 45 countries took part in the competition for the best project, but only 230 of them made it to the final. The winner was 38-year-old Dane Jorn Utzon. It is difficult to say what could have been built on the site of the building crowned with “sail-domes” if the American architect Erro Saarinen had not been the chairman of the selection committee, who insisted that such an extraordinary project win the competition. According to Utzon himself, the original idea came to him when he peeled an orange and assembled a full sphere from hemispherical orange peels. The construction of the Sydney Opera House, which began in 1959, dragged on and lasted 14 instead of the planned 4 years.

Money was sorely lacking, and expenses grew at an accelerated pace. It was necessary to attract investors, which led to a revision of the original design of the building in favor of commercial space reserved for restaurants and cafes. “A little more, and the building will turn into a swollen square, into a stamped living box!” Utzon exclaimed indignantly. The total amount spent on the construction of the Sydney Opera House ($102 million) was 15 times the projected amount ($7 million). The Cabinet, accused of "unnecessarily inflated spending and unreasonably long construction", resigned, and the architect himself, in desperation, burned the drawings and resolutely left Sydney.

Opening of the Sydney Opera House

Work on the design of facades and interior decoration was completed 7 years after the resignation of Utzon. In October 1973, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of England, the theater was solemnly opened, and the first performance given on the stage of the Sydney House of Muses was Sergei Prokofiev's opera War and Peace. In 2003, Utzon received the prestigious Pritzker Prize for his theater project, and in 2007 the Sydney Opera House was declared a World Heritage Site. But, alas, Utzon's resentment against the Australian authorities turned out to be so great that he never returned to Sydney and died in 2008 without seeing the completed opera house in all its glory.

And the 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. Since 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 the English Queen Elizabeth II. The building was designed by a Danish architect in 2003 and received for it. The project proposed by Utzon was very original, bright and beautiful, fan-shaped roofs towering over the bay 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 it was possible to make hemispherical and spherical figures. 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!

Building

In the place where the Sydney Opera House is now located (the territory of Bennelong Point), 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 plaque 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 161,000 tons and stands on 580 piles, lowered to a depth of twenty-five meters into the water. The Sydney Opera House is made in the style of expressionism with its inherent innovative and radical design. The roof frame includes two thousand concrete sections interconnected. The entire roof is clad in beige and white ceramic tiles, creating an interesting movement effect due to this combination of colors.

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 can accommodate 2679 spectators, it also houses a 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 performs 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 hall that can accommodate up to 400 people.

Sydney Opera House: interesting facts

At the Opera, the largest in the world hangs, which was specially made in France according to the sketch of the artist Coburn. It is called the "Curtain of the Sun and Moon", and the area of ​​​​each half is 93 square meters.

In the Main Concert Hall of the theater there is the world's largest mechanical organ with 10.5 thousand pipes.

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.

For the general public, the Sydney Opera House is open 363 days a year, it is closed only on 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 sound.

The theater has its own opera written about him in the program. 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 the song "Ol' Man River" to the diners of the workers.

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

In 1996, when the Crowded House group gave a farewell concert at the Sydney Opera House, the largest number of spectators in the history of the theater was recorded. This concert was broadcast in all corners of the planet on television.

Finally

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!