July 1, 2017 Comments Off on Then & Now – the Sydney Opera House Views: 2731 Looking Back, Nostalgia

As an artificial pearl that seems to just have emerged out of the sea, the Sydney Opera House unfolds on the coast of Sydney, Australia. It is widely deemed to be one of the 20th-century best accomplishments in architecture.

The plans to build this distinctive building were set as early as the 1940s in a quest for getting the city of Sydney a decent venue for theater performances. Following an international design competition, the winning idea came in 1957 thanks to Danish architect, Jørn Utzon.

After some fifteen years of construction, the prominent multi-venue performing arts center, the Sydney Opera House was opened officially by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973. The first performance that was presented at the venue was the Australian Opera’s production of War and Peace. Ever since it hosts thousands of events each year and is the favorite place for a visit to over 200,000 people each year.

It cost $AU 102,000,000 to build the entire edifice, that would equal some 78,443,100 in US dollars, however, there doesn’t seem to be any reason if Australians should complain about it.

The shelled roof of the house is constructed out of 1,056,000 glazed white granite tiles that were imported all the way from Sweden. Although designed to self-clean itself, the roof is still manually maintained as well as replacements are in process when needed. Pink granite mined from New South West, Australia, and white birch and brush box plywood consist the interior of the building.

Under the mega shells, visitors can follow through events in one of the five theaters, the Concert Hall, the Opera Theatre, Drama Theatre, Playhouse, and Studio Theatre. The Concert Hall is the largest of all, having the capacity to welcome 2679 guests. This hall also contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, that is the biggest mechanical tracker organ in the entire world, composed of over 10,000 pipes.

All five halls are contained in the large shells that unfold as to model a dissected globe. The Concert Hall and the Opera Theatre are housed in the largest shells, while the other halls are located on the side parts.

If you are here, you should also check: Then & Now – the Co-Cathedral St Peter and Paul in Osijek

It’s pretty much fantastic venue, and no need to remind one here – if you happen to roam around Sydney, this is a must place to go and take a look.

Tags: Australia, Sydney, Sydney Opera House