When was the Sydney Opera House built? Sydney Opera House in Australia - a ship sailing on the waves of art. Milestones in the construction of the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is an easily recognizable and most famous building in the world. It is located in one of the major Australian cities and is one of the main attractions of the continent.

The Sydney Opera House has been recognized as one of the most significant buildings in the world, along with the Harbor Bridge, also located in Sydney.

The Opera House is located in Sydney Harbour, along Bennelong Point. At present, it is difficult to imagine Sydney without an opera, but until 1958 inclusive, the building housed a tram depot, and before it a fort.

The roof of the building has sail-like shells, due to which there is not a single analogue architectural monument all over the world.

Construction and architect of the Sydney Opera House

The building architect is Jorn Utzon, which comes from the Danish outback. At that time, the construction project seemed practically impossible for the builders, but despite the labors of the workers, the opera house was built.

On the initial stage it was planned to build 2 large halls, but during the construction process the project underwent significant changes, which only won in the future.

It was believed that the construction of the Opera would take 4 years and cost $7 million. But due to misunderstandings, intrigues and various kinds of strife, it turned out that the construction was carried out for 14 years, and the cost increased 15 times and exceeded 100 million dollars.

Following the implementation of the project, the Danish architect was awarded the Pitzker Prize and the highest architectural award for 2003.

Theater Description

The opera is divided into three main performance halls:

The 2,679-seat Concert Hall is home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and houses the world's largest functioning mechanical organ, with over 10,000 pipes.
The 1,507-seat Opera House is the home of the Sydney Opera House and the Australian Ballet.
The 544-seat Drama Hall is the home of the Sydney Theater Company and other dance and theater groups.

But the number of rooms is not limited to this, the Opera has many other less significant halls and studios.

For example, in the cafe you can try the freshest hamburgers and seafood dishes. Enjoy the best cocktails, wines and snacks at the bar. Have lunch at the Mozart Bistro. And in a separate banquet hall, order the celebration of a family celebration or cooperative. And all this with a gorgeous view of the bay.

You don't need an evening dress and high heels to attend the performance, as we always think.

For example, local indigenous people can easily come to the musical in jeans and a T-shirt, and sometimes barefoot. But still, it’s worth dressing up about going out, this will add significance to such an event.

Above all, Opera offers training different kind and interactive tours. By the way, education is free for students this year.

Trainings and master classes are held in order to attract young people to art, to help them find exactly what they need. Teachers also undergo confirmation and improvement of their knowledge and skills here.

In fairness, it should be noted that with the construction of the Opera House in Australia, such art forms as opera, ballet, theater and playing in a symphony orchestra began to develop more and more.

More than 1,500 performances are held here every year, attended by a total of 1.2 million people. Over 7 million tourists visit the opera house each year, making the building one of the most popular attractions on the Australian continent.

During its short life, the Opera has won the title of the World Art Center. In June 2007, it was added to the World Heritage List.

From October 2013 to March 2014, as part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary, a grandiose show was arranged on the site in front of the main entrance. For example, Sting gave several concerts, and the Royal Mint issued 2 coins with a face value of 1 dollar with the image of the Opera - from silver and bronze.

How to get to the theater

The Sydney Opera House has a policy of accessibility so that people of all social status can afford to visit this beautiful place. Therefore, the theater administration provides various ways to get to them.

Getting here is not difficult at all, and since it is located right on the water, the most popular way is by ferry. You can also get there by train, and the building itself can be reached by bus.

For pensioners and people with limited mobility, a free bus is provided, but the number of seats on it is limited, so you have to wait for the queue to come up. It is better to specify the schedule - for example, buses do not operate on Sunday evenings. They depart 45 minutes before the start of the performance, and after it ends, they depart within 10 minutes. You can also get there by bike, for these visitors there is parking for bicycles.

Where is the Sydney Opera House

City of Sydney, Australia (here)
Address: Bennelong point Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (+61 2) 9250 7111
Official website: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

(Here you can order tickets and get acquainted with the repertoire for the coming days)

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 architect's life).

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 the initial drawings of Utson, but from practical considerations he replaced the original elliptical shell design with a design with uniform spherical fragments reminiscent of 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 highest concrete panel sink in its height equivalent to 22 storey building. 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 the Second World War, Utson traveled around Europe, the USA 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 works began in 1959, but soon ran into problems with roof construction and attempts by the new government to persuade him to use certain suppliers. building materials. 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.

The Sydney Opera House is Australia's most famous building, built after a long period of construction in 1974. controversy about it architectural style are still going on, but the theater has long become a symbol and a visiting card of this distant city.

Some people think that opera in Sydney is a frozen musical composition, others - snow-white sails filled with wind, others are sure that from afar the building looks like a huge whale thrown onto the seashore by a storm.

The most unique thing about the theater is its roof, made in the form of sails or flower petals. It cannot be confused with any other building. Sydney Opera is on the famous list cultural heritage UNESCO.

Description

It is well known that the vast majority of other theaters in the world were built in the strict classical style. And the Sydney Opera House is a real expressionism in architecture, a fresh look at classical music and opera singing.

It has an unusual roof and stands on stilts in the water that surrounds it. The theater has a huge area - about 22,000 square meters. m, many large halls, studios, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, souvenir shops and other premises.

The largest theater hall in terms of area is the concert hall, which can accommodate more than 2.6 thousand people. A gigantic organ is installed in this hall, there are often concerts of organ music.

The second largest hall is called the Opera House, its capacity is 1.5 thousand people, operas and ballets are staged here. The third hall is called the Drama Theatre, it is designed for 500 spectators and is intended for theatrical performances.

theater roof

The height of the roof of this building is almost 70 m, and the radius is 75 m. It is made in the form of many petals or sails nested in each other. The total weight of the roof is over 30,000 kg.

The surface of the segments that cover the roof of the Sydney Opera House is covered with smooth white tiles. Interestingly, during the day, depending on the lighting, its color changes from pure white to light beige.

Due to the fact that the surface of the roof is not smooth, serious acoustic problems arose inside it. Therefore, I had to additionally make a ceiling with sound reflection. The reflective function is performed by special gutters on the ceiling.

The first author of the theater

The idea to build an opera house in Sydney came to English conductor Eugene Goossens, who came to Australia to record concerts on the radio. There was not a single building where the opera could be located.

At the request of Gessens, the Australian authorities decided to build a theater where one could listen not only to classical music, but also to modern musical works.

In Sydney, a cape was chosen on the seafront next to the embankment. There was then a tram park, it was moved to another place, and a professional competition was immediately announced for best project future opera house.

Goossens, in connection with the developed stormy activity in the construction of this theater, had enemies and envious people. Suddenly, customs found prohibited items in his luggage and he was forced to leave Australia.

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 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

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. To bring the building to perfection and complete decorative works It took another six years. 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 general public The Sydney Opera House is open 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 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!

Construction history

The competition for the right to develop the design of the Sydney Opera House involved 223 architects. In January 1957, the design of the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was declared the winner of the competition, and two years later, the first stone was laid at Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour. According to preliminary calculations, the construction of the theater was supposed to take 3-4 years and cost $ 7 million. Unfortunately, shortly after the start of work, many difficulties arose, which forced the government to move away from initial plans Utzona. And in 1966, Utzon left Sydney after a particularly big quarrel with the city authorities.

A team of young Australian architects took responsibility for completing the construction. The government of New South Wales played a lottery to get 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 is 183 meters long and 118 meters wide, covering an area of over 21,500 square meters. It stands on 580 concrete piles, driven to a depth of 25 m into the clay 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, iridescent, snow-white tiles were used.

The building accommodates 5 theaters: the Big Concert Hall for 2,700 seats; own theater with 1,500 seats and less spacious drama theatre, game and theater studios with 350 and 500 seats each. The complex has over a thousand additional office space, including rehearsal rooms, 4 restaurants and 6 bars.

Data

Location: The Sydney Opera House is located at Bennelong Point in 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 is 183 meters long and 118 meters wide, covering an area of over 21,500 square meters. m.
Theaters and number of seats: The building houses 5 separate theaters with a total capacity of more than 5,500.
Dome: The unique dome of the Sydney Opera House is covered with more than a million ceramic tiles. The complex is provided with electricity through 645 km of cable.