Celebrating 40, Sydney Australia
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, lets go back to see where it all began, and give you and incite as to what its all about.The Opera House was initially designed by the danish architect Jorn Utzon, and was formally opened by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on 20 October 1973. The opening was televised and included fireworks and a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony no.9. The New south Wales government ordered work to begin in 1958, with Utzon directing construction.
Although its name suggests otherwise, the venue is actually home to one if the biggest performing arts facilities in the world, hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by around 1.5 million people. The venues produce and present a wide range of in-house productions and accommodate numerous performing arts companies.
It is one of the most popular visited tourist attractions in Australia, with more than 7 million visiting each year.
Identified as one of the 20th century’s most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world, it is one of the most distinctive buildings in modern day architecture, The interior is made up from a variety of rooms/halls. The major hall, which was originally to be a multipurpose opera/concert hall, became solely a concert hall, called the Concert Hall.
The minor hall, originally for stage productions only, incorporated opera and ballet functions and was called the Opera Theatre, later renamed the Joan Sutherland Theatre. As a result, the Joan Sutherland Theatre is inadequate to stage large-scale opera and ballet. A theatre, a cinema and a library were also added. These were later changed to two live drama theatres and a smaller theatre “in the round”. These now comprise the Drama Theatre, the Playhouse, and the Studio.
