Sitting in front of the Opera House, looking over the Sydney Harbour on a sunny day is one of life’s great experiences. Worth much more than money could ever pay for.
Ryan, the guy hosting the program is British architectural icon, Kevin McCloud, who is very well known to Aussie audiences from his 20+ years of hosting Grand Designs and its associated programs.
Kevin McCloud was giving his architectural experience to the structure. That’s why there is such a focus on the architecture-not what you might have expected. It’s not actually a tour of the building. Wrong video for that I’m afraid.
Hi Ryan, check out the Sydney light show called Vivid that's on every year during the winter. The Opera House becomes a screen for our light show festivals, and so does the Sydney Harbour Bridge and our city buildings its wonderful. Everyone loves it especialy the kids as it looks like a wonderland playground, ist visited by millions of people each year.
As a child, I remember my father (a surveyor), with architectural drawings of the Opera House, complaining that Utzon had just drawn the curves of the sails by freehand. Dad had the task of converting those curves into smoothly connecting arcs of circles of different radii. He was proud of the job he did, in achieving that. (Maybe around 1965-ish.)
That's cool. My grandad worked on the harbour bridge, just as a labourer of some kind. They were given a commemorative belt buckle as a keepsake. I sure hope my mum still has that.
And a circus^- I believe the House has also hosted _Cirque du Soleil+ a couple of times. ^ (or two; if you count the whole govt vs budget vs architect vs laws of physics thing...).
It took 14 years to be built. I've been to many concerts at the SOH, including Billy Connolly, Melissa Etheridge, Choir concerts, Sydney Symphony for children.
They project things onto it at night which looks absolutely amazing. Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The New Years Eve fireworks are the best in the world...
Absolutely! I experienced my first NYE in Sydney down at Circular Quay for the millennium fireworks. Unbelievable. I still gush about it all the time (like now...)
I remember the first time that I drove into Sydney as a new immigrant in 1980, seeing the Opera House for the first time..I was gobsmacked by its beauty and position. I still get the same tingles every time that I visit it. Ryan, you’ve got to come on over and experience Australia. We’d make you very welcome.
I am an opera singer from Sydney & worked at the Opera House for several years. Walking along the Harbourside towards the Opera House is a thrill that never gets old.
A diamond day afternoon with the sun glistening off the water of Sydney Harbour with the Opera house sitting proudly on Bennelong Point and the Harbour bridge in your sights, is pretty hard to beat.
There was a joke about performing arts centres in Australia, it's been said that "the outside is in Sydney, the inside is in Melbourne and the parking is in Adelaide". I'd say it doesn't apply anymore as the refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House is complete now and it's an absolutely magnificent result.
The park behind the opera house is the gardens around Government House, where the NSW Governor lives. They continue to become the Sydney Botanical Gardens and then the Domain, another big park. On the opera house site there was originally a battery and then a fort to protect Sydney's main wharves at the time, replaced by a tram depot made to look a bit like a fort. The opera house replaced the tram depot when Sydney ripped up its tram lines in the 1960s (one of the biggest networks in the world at the time, similar story to LA).
The outside of the opera house is covered in millions of white tiles. Anything can be projected onto its surface and often is to commemorate events. It look absolutely spectacular when that happens. You really have no idea of the size until you stand next to it.
I rthink it took 14 years to build. Before Covid there was a huge corus of about 700 voices that came together each year in June. People came from all over the world to sing in it. I sang in that chorus a few times. It was a fun experience.
The very first performance after the renovation of the concert hall was by an indigenous composer, followed by Mahler and it was televised on ABC TV, the national (public ally owned) broadcaster. It was magnificent.
Hey @Ryan Was. You will rarely see operas in the Concert Hall where the acoustic petals are, as this theatre is usually the home to symphonies. Operas and ballet are performed in the Joan Sutherland theatre. The large staircase at the rear of the House is called the Monumental Steps. On the first podium level (landing) you will find a model of The Spherical Solution, which is the way Jorn Utzon, the original architect, was able to overcome the challenge of how to engineer the sails to stand. Each of the tiles on the sails are off-white in colour. If they had been pure white, the sun would have reflected off them making the House difficult to look at. Blind and Deaf/hearing impaired people can attend the Sydney Opera House. There are multiple theatres (6) with hearing loops as well as audio described and sign language interpreted performances. You won't get the kind of CBD you're talking about here! Lol! CBD stands for Central Business District. So for Sydney that is where a lot of office buildings, Queen Victoria Building, department stores and high rise apartments are located.
The “Panels” as u say “HIGHLIGHT” with lights “SPECIFIC” Celebrations & Memorials…. It’s absolutely beautiful to see!!! RIP - VALE. Dame Olivia Newton John with much LOVE ❤️
Check out Vivid Sydney. It's a month of lights and projections on Sydney's buildings and the harbour bridge. So you get a lot of projections on the Opera House.
I've been to shows at the Opera House several times and never seen an opera. It caters to all kinds of entertainment from rock to country, comedy and pop etc etc. It's a place of music of every kind. They have performances inside and outside. There are 5 different concert halls inside. The renovations she was talking about being finished in 2022 have just been completed. It really is something to see and be proud of. Cheers from Oz.
Us Aussies, are fiercely proud of the Iconic images of our great country. The world renown, The Sydney Opera House is arguably, our most instantly recongnisable international monument. Its depiction in photography, film and clever advertising campaigns since its completion in 1973 have made it synonymous with Australia. I havent been to Sydney in some years yet when I return, and I will, It will be my first port of calll. john
I performed in the Sydney Opera House multiple times in the 1970’s in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. I love the Opera House. It has a special place in Aussies hearts ♥️
I used to view the Opera House from the harbour bridge on the train every day, back in the day; and when the sun hit its sails, I used to play 'Always the Sun' by the Stranglers. It was surreal.
There are several theaters inside the Opera House, from small to large, restaurant and bars, but some of the best spaces are the rehearsal rooms, and other facilities. I have been many times. It is a fabulous venue.
Another iconic veiw of Sydney is from Toronga Park Zoo.Two giraffes facing each other form a perfect frame for the harbour Bridge & Opera House as well as the city skyline and the beautiful water expanse
I live in Perth, but have visited Sydney a number of times. I have been inside The Opera House, and have been to two concerts on the steps, but never one inside. It was great to see what is happening there now, and this has prompted me to take a tour next time I’m there. It is lovely to sit on either side of the House, for beautiful views of the harbour. I was there in 2008, and saw Pope Benedict sail into Circular Quay from the front of The Opera House. I would love to go there during the Vivid Festival, and see all the light projections on the exterior.
My city of Sydney, I’ve been to many concerts inside the Concert Hall. Whenever you visit Sydney the best place to eat/drink is in the Lower Deck of the Promenade called The Opera Bar & you have the best view of the Opera House & the Sydney Harbour Bridge, best view ever 😀
When I was 11 the choral group at my school took part in a primary school choral festival at the Opera House (schools from all around the state came together to form a massive choir). Our school group was one of the ones who also got a "solo" performance. 20 years later and I still think performing on that stage was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
My husband worked on the Opera House when he was a rigger. You don’t want to know how much it costs to replace any broken white tiles! 😳 Erecting a man & material hoist along those sails was excruciating. Dealing with the engineers even more so! The riggers knew their equipment, engineers not so much, unfortunately 😆 No matter how many times I see or enter the Opera House it’s always breathtaking. So beautiful & unique.
Kevin McCloud is a British architect that was giving his impression of this magnificent building. To truly see the beauty of the Opera House you also have to take a cruise around the harbour, and enjoy the magnificent views of Sydney. I have been to your wonderful country three times and have travelled over thirty states. Just take the plunge and come and say ' GDay'.
You'd be amazed at what goes on at the Opera House. I used to go to massive dance parties called "Mad Racket" set up through the building.. I've seen some amazing stand up comedy there too.
Sydney opera house sits on a small piece of land called Bennelong point. it was named after the aboriginal who was the first one to simulate into European culture and was taught the English language. he was alienated by his family for becoming too white and forgetting his black traditions. he often got depressed and sat on this piece of land and the governor offered it to him as a gift when the land was being divided up and sold off. he said he could not give it to him as it was where his father was buried and it belonged to his people anyway. when he died he was laid to rest there and the governing council named the land Bennelong point after him. it stands to commemorate a coming together for all people from all walks of life and from all the lands. that is why there is an opera house on Bennelong point.
The white surface on the sails are ceramic tiles. So projection... you can walk up steps on top, between the two sides of some of the sails, on a paid tour. You can also walk on the top of the coathanger, Sydney harbour bridge, on a tour. Our fireworks on New Years Eve, is epic with barges on the river, the harbour and on the bridge. Local radio stations time music to match. People watch from parks, hi-rises or on tv, right across the country. There is a recording of a Crowded House concert with the stage near the water, on the forecourt. People sat on the steps etc. Sydney Harbour is huge, islands, water front mansions, ferries, yachts, tinnies etc, maybe look it up. The Japanese sent mini subs in during WWII.
The view from The Coathanger (Sydney Harbour Bridge) is amazing. Climbing tours are held 3 times a day. Sunset is the best. This guy is very British and she's really as expected an Australian CEO that needs to be like this. Professional. Has an Australian twang but there's that variability with everyone. There's different elements to Australian culture including business where it may sound very proper but it's part of being professional. Australian slang is not in everyone's vocabulary. It's business representing the country here. Reputation is everything on a national and international scale. Spring is a great time to visit before the humidity of summer. Days low to mid 20C's (70F's) with beautiful fine days though El Nina has been changing that lately.
Because the frame that holds the Opera house up sits in salt water what they have to do to stop the concrete and steel rusting & rotting they actually have a saltwater desalination plant underneath the building to stop it from falling apart , it is a very complex building. 👍😎
14 years... not 40 years to construct. It was opened by the Queen in the 1970s. There is a large mural in the north foyer based on a poem. My father built the frame (he was a carpenter by trade) for the mural, and my uncle helped the painter to paint it. I have a photograph of the two of them working on the mural and the frame in the warehouse before it was installed in the Opera House. My first singing teacher (I am a classically trained soprano) was Gertrude Concannon who was a famous singer in her younger days. She told me about a concert in her honour with a young 16 year old soprano who told Gertrude (after the concert) how she wanted to be a singer like Gertrude. Her name? Joan Sutherland. I have performed in most of the rooms of the Opera House. Opera Theatre, Concert Hall, and a number of the smaller performance spaces. It is wonderful. Kevin McCloud is the presenter for the British (and original) Grand Designs program. There are now Australian and New Zealand versions of the program, with local hosts) where they look at people building homes and the process they go through. Usually with unusual designs or construction methods.
I'm a Canadian and I have been to Australia. I have been to the Opera House. The host of the show has a series of unique buildings. I used to watch his shows all the time.
Yep. The inspiration for the Opera House design was the SAILS of the boats on the Sydney harbour. The design really captures that feel. Further, each sail when when put together will make a sphere. Very cool.
I actually have sung at the opera house. I was part of huge kids choir but I was there! I was about 12 and I recall having to walk around what seemed like a labyrinth to get to where we had to sit. It seemed quite magical then and that’s part of the joy of it.
Quite a magnificent building. You just didn't hear opera at the Opera House, Prince had a couple of gigs there as well. He said it was his favourite venue 😆
The woman at the beginning is the CEO of the building, as it has 7 theatres of various sizes and a lot of restaurants. The resident performing companies, including Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, are separate.
When we were kids growing up in Sydney, nearly every school child would go to at least one of the special concerts they hold for music education. And we all got to perform at the Opera House, usually in the main concert hall, either singing or playing recorder with combined schools concerts. There's also a theatre hall there where I've seen plays in the summer season and there are regular concerts throughout the year - not just opera. When they say 10 million people visit a year, that includes all ages and all kinds of people, for lots of different events. Oh, and the giant staircase is not the only way in👍
I arrived in Circular Quay Sydney in January 1960. As the ship pulled into the Quay I could see the last of the old tram barns being demolished on Benalong Point to make way for the Opera house. In 1970 my girlfriend and I moved to the Rocks underneath the Harbour bridge with a perfect view under the bridge across the Quay to the Opera house. In 1973 we watched the opening of the Opera House from our front veranda. We went to see the second opera performed there Nubulco and in January 1974 we married and moved tomCanada. So I watched the place grow from a hole in the ground to a finished building. Still my favourite building.
Somewhere online you might be able to find a doco about the innovative airconditioning system that cools the Sydney Opera House. It uses the harbour water under the building as a heat sink. It was designed by the original architect I think. It's a pretty amazing system, even moreso when you realise it was designed at a time that being 'green' didn't really matter to many people.
The panels of tiles over the sails, no two panels are the same. Each panel of tiles was made separately. The only building I’ve seen that comes close to it is the Baha’i lotus temple in Delhi. The sad thing about it though was a dispute between the State Government and the architect Jan Utzon. Utzon quit and left Australia. He never physically saw the completed building.
I've performed in the Drama Theatre inside the Opera House for a complete season. I was a henchman for a wealthy woman in The Visit. I got to play guitar & sing an Elvis song that was added into the show, Are You Lonesome Tonight.
A quick addition: a great event here are the fireworks over the Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve which are telecast. They light up the Opera House. See if you can find those from last week.
Sydney Opera House is truly magnificent. I think a lot of Sydneysiders are so used to seeing its “sails” right on the Harbour that they forget how much of an epic feat it was at the time it was built. It took 14 years to build, and apart from operas there are also lots of different live shows produced in its many performance areas. It comes alive during VIVID (an amazing light show once a year) when images and art are projected onto its sails. Light shows also happen at other important times during the year - like on 🇦🇺Australia Day in January each year. Whenever I ride on a public ferry from Circular Quay and glide past those sails I can’t help but take photos. We are so lucky to have this building, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Botanic Gardens to visit any day of the year. You MUST come down under to visit us Ryan👍😎
Or take a ferry, bus, train or tram to Circular Quay and take the short (probably less than half a mile) but spectacular walk along the shore of Sydney Harbour to get to the Opera House. Circular Quay is a major transport hub, so is very easily accessible. Or try catching a train to Milson’s Point Railway Station and walk on the pedestrian footway over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and back to The Rocks and Circular Quay, taking in the magnificent views from above of the Opera House, Sydney Harbour and Sydney CBD.
I had the pleasure of a private tour behind the scenes just after it opened by a tradie friend working there. An amazing building and a beautiful setting on Sydney harbour.
Kevin McCloud hosts a show about architecture called Grand Designs in the UK. Kevin came to Australia for a series of shows and the Opera House was featured in this episode, that's why he asking the questions in that way. 🤗
I have been to the opera at the opera house. Our amazing Opera Australia (which was the Australian Opera at the time). It was fabulous. Hope I can get back there a bit more. I'm also old enough to remember when it was being built in the 60s.
Not 40 years to construct, but rather 14. It is truly a remarkable building. Joern Utzon, the architect, entered the design competition with what is best described as a concept sketch. It won and then the trouble started. Utzon had to turn his sketch into a proper construction plan. I've forgotten the time this took, but there were enormous problems. On the way, the design of the shells changed from the pretty free-form shapes envisaged into those you see now. A lot of work went into sorting out what most of us don't see - the stage machinery, the dressing and rehearsal rooms, workshops to make sets and so forth. Utzon had really not addressed any of these issues. The building as it is now was opened in 1973, about 16 years after Utzon's design success. There are restaurants and informal eating places as well as the performance facilities. I could not guess how many performances we've seen there over the years. Operas, of course, but also plays and concerts. It's hard to say when is the best time to see it, but a summer sunset like today's would have to rank high. It has its problems, chief of which is the lack of decent parking coupled with wide open (and uncovered) areas from the House to public transport. But these can't detract from the great achievement.
The images on the 'Sails' you saw are light shows that are reflected on the opera house - They are all different and usually connected to whatever is current or going on or celebrated at the time.
The English presenter is from an English tv show "Grand Designs" & some of the grand design's he's showed were projected to be finished by X date & 6, 12, or even 18 months later the job finished. That's why he asked the CEO of the Sydney Opera house "are you sure renovations will be finished on time,?"
Hello Ryan, you know the opera house change colour on different festivities. I’m pretty sure that it lights up on New Year eve I’m guessing. And I hope to hear from you soon 🌺🦋🌈💖❤️😊😘🙏🏻from Edith in Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
British presenter Richard Hammond did a really interesting episode of his Engineering Connections program on the Sydney Opera House that has a lot of information about the construction if you want to delve further. Definitely woth looking at.
The sails of the Opera House are lit up with projected images for all sorts of events. Quite amazing to watch. Kevin hosts a British architectural program, so it makes sense that he’s discussing the bones of the building, more than showing its performances.
re the shape of the sails, sthe story is that Utzon (architect, Dainish) came up with the design by carving an orange.... ) The actual theatres/Opera house is built within the sails, so the sails are not the actual internal walls of the venues. Until the upgrades there were a huge number of steps to get from the concorse to the theatre levels... It was designed for the very fit! And while people (at teh time) complained about the cost - particularly the conservative politicians that inherited the project, it was almost completely funded by a lottery! Its well worth a visit when you, your partner and child come to Australia! (note the "when" not "if"!)
It was designed to look like sails in the wind. Beautiful building. The lights shows are projected onto the sails and it depends on what we are celebrating. Vivid is a month long light show in Sydney projecting scenes onto all of the CBDs famous buildings and structures.
I reckon the best view is from the deck of the Manly Ferry as it approaches Circular Quay. The most beautiful harbour in the world adorned with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge is something very special indeed. But being a country lad, I couldn't cope living there.
The Manly ferry, or any ferry really is a great way to appreciate the Opera House from a different angle being, from the water! It's spectacular on a sunny Sydney day
When Jorn Utzons' design won the competition for the proposed opera house the technique for building it had yet to be worked out. It was extremely difficult to work it out and when Utzon hadn't come up with a solution after a long period of time the committee threw the problem on the table for others in the field to come up with a solution but the answer remained elusive. Then one day Utzon was sitting and pondering the problem while absent mindedly peeling an orange. He looked at the pieces and considered them for a while and stood 2 pieces up on end and there was the sail design in 3D. This was his Eureka moment. I don't know how that solved the method of construction outside of standardising the process for all of the sails though.
I was lucky to be able to look at The Sydney Opera House for 20 years when I worked in Sydney, I have walked around it sat on the steps at the front, was a 7 year old that was there for the openung but I have never ever been inside it.
Some of the lower dressing rooms are actually partially under water. I remember being there in the 80s for some kind of schools concert and the windows down there were 2/3rds under the water. It was cool.
That show is a fancy Architecture show from England. So the host is an architect and he goes around England and sometimes Australia checking out people’s grand designs in houses. They can be highly unconventional and crazy or super creative.
It's a really beautiful building. I took my kids on the tours when they were quite young and they loved it. The acoustics are amazing. My kids were singers and would get quite excited. You could let off a gun in the auditorium and it won't echo.
The lights on the outside are a projection. The first concert I went to in the Opera House was a Led Zepplin tribute band (heavy metal in case you don't know) . While it gleams in the daylight ir glows at night.
Hi Ryan, l had the privilege of singing in front of the Queen in my choir with choirs from many schools also so singing as well, it was for the opening for the Opera House....
That was a projection on the Opera House. Every June (our winter) we have 'Vivid', which had light projections on the Opera House, on Customs House Library, the Royal Botanic Gardens and other places around Sydney plus other light installations, some of which are interactive. Its a free attraction that goes for 2 to 3 weeks at night. The Opera House often has other projections on it for specific occasions such as memorial or a celebration.
The first night of the Opera House was 20 October 1973 and the audience were all invited guests. The second night was for the public, and a lottery of sorts was arranged, it was free to enter but if you were one of the lucky ones you got 4 tickets which you then paid for. I was 18 and my dad won a set of four tickets. The performance was the Daly Wilson Big Band.
Sydney Harbour IS beautiful. The Opera House is beyond sensational. Over the years I have seen Operas, Concertos, punk rock concerts etc. It is for every one. It IS for the people. The changes in the Concert Hall have been lauded as brilliant, even beyond expectation. You can have a beer or a cocktail on the Harbour front with million dollar views for the price of the drink. I understand your derisive tone but really if you don't see it then you are missing out. We don't, I go there regularly. Your loss if you don't visit. Millions do every year.
Been there many times for many events, functions, symphonies, operas and even a few movies. It was even in the view from my loungeroom for some years. Pick a good event and have an excellent time. It's an amazing building. :)
No matter what you think it looks like. It’s way more impressive when you finally see it in person.
Sitting in front of the Opera House, looking over the Sydney Harbour on a sunny day is one of life’s great experiences. Worth much more than money could ever pay for.
NYE is another experience i strongly recommend!
Kevin McCloud is not 'corny'
He breaks down architecture for the masses and is an icon in the UK!
I adore him... 💙
Ryan, the guy hosting the program is British architectural icon, Kevin McCloud, who is very well known to Aussie audiences from his 20+ years of hosting Grand Designs and its associated programs.
Kevin McCloud was giving his architectural experience to the structure.
That’s why there is such a focus on the architecture-not what you might have expected. It’s not actually a tour of the building. Wrong video for that I’m afraid.
Hi Ryan, check out the Sydney light show called Vivid that's on every year during the winter. The Opera House becomes a screen for our light show festivals, and so does the Sydney Harbour Bridge and our city buildings its wonderful. Everyone loves it especialy the kids as it looks like a wonderland playground, ist visited by millions of people each year.
I second this! Vivid is the best thing about winter.
Yes! Check out Vivid! It's beautiful.
@@unfairbear8527 I agree, and the New Year fireworks aren't too shabby either.
The projections during Vibid & on special occasions are great.
As a child, I remember my father (a surveyor), with architectural drawings of the Opera House, complaining that Utzon had just drawn the curves of the sails by freehand. Dad had the task of converting those curves into smoothly connecting arcs of circles of different radii. He was proud of the job he did, in achieving that. (Maybe around 1965-ish.)
Impressive!
That's cool. My grandad worked on the harbour bridge, just as a labourer of some kind. They were given a commemorative belt buckle as a keepsake. I sure hope my mum still has that.
It’s not just for opera! You see comedians, lectures, symphonies, ballet…..all sorts!
Plays too :) I even went to a Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular there hahaha
And a circus^- I believe the House has also hosted _Cirque du Soleil+ a couple of times.
^ (or two; if you count the whole govt vs budget vs architect vs laws of physics thing...).
It took 14 years to be built. I've been to many concerts at the SOH, including Billy Connolly, Melissa Etheridge, Choir concerts, Sydney Symphony for children.
This guy, Kevin McCloud, is the presenter of aBritish TV series, Grand Designs. He did the Sydney Opera House as one of his program.
They project things onto it at night which looks absolutely amazing. Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The New Years Eve fireworks are the best in the world...
Absolutely! I experienced my first NYE in Sydney down at Circular Quay for the millennium fireworks. Unbelievable. I still gush about it all the time (like now...)
I remember the first time that I drove into Sydney as a new immigrant in 1980, seeing the Opera House for the first time..I was gobsmacked by its beauty and position. I still get the same tingles every time that I visit it. Ryan, you’ve got to come on over and experience Australia. We’d make you very welcome.
Good on you.
I am an opera singer from Sydney & worked at the Opera House for several years. Walking along the Harbourside towards the Opera House is a thrill that never gets old.
A diamond day afternoon with the sun glistening off the water of Sydney Harbour with the Opera house sitting proudly on Bennelong Point and the Harbour bridge in your sights, is pretty hard to beat.
There was a joke about performing arts centres in Australia, it's been said that "the outside is in Sydney, the inside is in Melbourne and the parking is in Adelaide". I'd say it doesn't apply anymore as the refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House is complete now and it's an absolutely magnificent result.
The park behind the opera house is the gardens around Government House, where the NSW Governor lives. They continue to become the Sydney Botanical Gardens and then the Domain, another big park. On the opera house site there was originally a battery and then a fort to protect Sydney's main wharves at the time, replaced by a tram depot made to look a bit like a fort. The opera house replaced the tram depot when Sydney ripped up its tram lines in the 1960s (one of the biggest networks in the world at the time, similar story to LA).
The outside of the opera house is covered in millions of white tiles. Anything can be projected onto its surface and often is to commemorate events. It look absolutely spectacular when that happens.
You really have no idea of the size until you stand next to it.
I rthink it took 14 years to build. Before Covid there was a huge corus of about 700 voices that came together each year in June. People came from all over the world to sing in it. I sang in that chorus a few times. It was a fun experience.
Ryan ..l worked for bands deaf people use to come to see the band they feel the vibrations of rock music .
The very first performance after the renovation of the concert hall was by an indigenous composer, followed by Mahler and it was televised on ABC TV, the national (public ally owned) broadcaster. It was magnificent.
Hey @Ryan Was.
You will rarely see operas in the Concert Hall where the acoustic petals are, as this theatre is usually the home to symphonies. Operas and ballet are performed in the Joan Sutherland theatre.
The large staircase at the rear of the House is called the Monumental Steps. On the first podium level (landing) you will find a model of The Spherical Solution, which is the way Jorn Utzon, the original architect, was able to overcome the challenge of how to engineer the sails to stand. Each of the tiles on the sails are off-white in colour. If they had been pure white, the sun would have reflected off them making the House difficult to look at.
Blind and Deaf/hearing impaired people can attend the Sydney Opera House. There are multiple theatres (6) with hearing loops as well as audio described and sign language interpreted performances.
You won't get the kind of CBD you're talking about here! Lol! CBD stands for Central Business District. So for Sydney that is where a lot of office buildings, Queen Victoria Building, department stores and high rise apartments are located.
The “Panels” as u say “HIGHLIGHT” with lights “SPECIFIC” Celebrations & Memorials…. It’s absolutely beautiful to see!!! RIP - VALE. Dame Olivia Newton John with much LOVE ❤️
Check out Vivid Sydney.
It's a month of lights and projections on Sydney's buildings and the harbour bridge. So you get a lot of projections on the Opera House.
I've been to shows at the Opera House several times and never seen an opera. It caters to all kinds of entertainment from rock to country, comedy and pop etc etc. It's a place of music of every kind. They have performances inside and outside. There are 5 different concert halls inside. The renovations she was talking about being finished in 2022 have just been completed. It really is something to see and be proud of. Cheers from Oz.
Yes, not only opera
Us Aussies, are fiercely proud of the Iconic images of our great country. The world renown, The Sydney Opera House is arguably, our most instantly recongnisable international monument. Its depiction in photography, film and clever advertising campaigns since its completion in 1973 have made it synonymous with Australia. I havent been to Sydney in some years yet when I return, and I will, It will be my first port of calll. john
The concert hall upgrade is finished. They opened it a couple of weeks ago and broadcast the first performance on national TV.
The festival Vivid is where they put images on it the most but generally it’s always used for Sydney harbour activities like New Years etc.
I performed in the Sydney Opera House multiple times in the 1970’s in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. I love the Opera House. It has a special place in Aussies hearts ♥️
I used to view the Opera House from the harbour bridge on the train every day, back in the day; and when the sun hit its sails, I used to play 'Always the Sun' by the Stranglers. It was surreal.
Great song, great building.
the very best part of it was watching it being built , the when it was finished , oh my , just took your breath away
I’ve been to more than 100 concerts, shows and plays there. A beautiful building.
There are several theaters inside the Opera House, from small to large, restaurant and bars, but some of the best spaces are the rehearsal rooms, and other facilities. I have been many times. It is a fabulous venue.
Another iconic veiw of Sydney is from Toronga Park Zoo.Two giraffes facing each other form a perfect frame for the harbour Bridge & Opera House as well as the city skyline and the beautiful water expanse
And the ferry ride to Taronga is its own spectacular cruise!
I live in Perth, but have visited Sydney a number of times. I have been inside The Opera House, and have been to two concerts on the steps, but never one inside. It was great to see what is happening there now, and this has prompted me to take a tour next time I’m there. It is lovely to sit on either side of the House, for beautiful views of the harbour. I was there in 2008, and saw Pope Benedict sail into Circular Quay from the front of The Opera House. I would love to go there during the Vivid Festival, and see all the light projections on the exterior.
My city of Sydney, I’ve been to many concerts inside the Concert Hall. Whenever you visit Sydney the best place to eat/drink is in the Lower Deck of the Promenade called The Opera Bar & you have the best view of the Opera House & the Sydney Harbour Bridge, best view ever 😀
I just saw the Phantom Of The Opera at the Sydney Opera House last night, it is a once in a lifetime experience for sure!
When I was 11 the choral group at my school took part in a primary school choral festival at the Opera House (schools from all around the state came together to form a massive choir). Our school group was one of the ones who also got a "solo" performance. 20 years later and I still think performing on that stage was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
My husband worked on the Opera House when he was a rigger. You don’t want to know how much it costs to replace any broken white tiles! 😳 Erecting a man & material hoist along those sails was excruciating. Dealing with the engineers even more so! The riggers knew their equipment, engineers not so much, unfortunately 😆
No matter how many times I see or enter the Opera House it’s always breathtaking. So beautiful & unique.
Kevin McCloud is a British architect that was giving his impression of this magnificent building. To truly see the beauty of the Opera House you also have to take a cruise around the harbour, and enjoy the magnificent views of Sydney. I have been to your wonderful country three times and have travelled over thirty states. Just take the plunge and come and say ' GDay'.
You'd be amazed at what goes on at the Opera House. I used to go to massive dance parties called "Mad Racket" set up through the building.. I've seen some amazing stand up comedy there too.
Sydney opera house sits on a small piece of land called Bennelong point. it was named after the aboriginal who was the first one to simulate into European culture and was taught the English language. he was alienated by his family for becoming too white and forgetting his black traditions. he often got depressed and sat on this piece of land and the governor offered it to him as a gift when the land was being divided up and sold off. he said he could not give it to him as it was where his father was buried and it belonged to his people anyway. when he died he was laid to rest there and the governing council named the land Bennelong point after him. it stands to commemorate a coming together for all people from all walks of life and from all the lands. that is why there is an opera house on Bennelong point.
I think you meant “assimilate”. Spell check gotcha?
That's why the Sydney Opera House is one of the seven wonders of the world.
The white surface on the sails are ceramic tiles. So projection... you can walk up steps on top, between the two sides of some of the sails, on a paid tour. You can also walk on the top of the coathanger, Sydney harbour bridge, on a tour. Our fireworks on New Years Eve, is epic with barges on the river, the harbour and on the bridge. Local radio stations time music to match. People watch from parks, hi-rises or on tv, right across the country. There is a recording of a Crowded House concert with the stage near the water, on the forecourt. People sat on the steps etc. Sydney Harbour is huge, islands, water front mansions, ferries, yachts, tinnies etc, maybe look it up. The Japanese sent mini subs in during WWII.
The view from The Coathanger (Sydney Harbour Bridge) is amazing. Climbing tours are held 3 times a day. Sunset is the best.
This guy is very British and she's really as expected an Australian CEO that needs to be like this. Professional. Has an Australian twang but there's that variability with everyone.
There's different elements to Australian culture including business where it may sound very proper but it's part of being professional.
Australian slang is not in everyone's vocabulary. It's business representing the country here. Reputation is everything on a national and international scale.
Spring is a great time to visit before the humidity of summer. Days low to mid 20C's (70F's) with beautiful fine days though El Nina has been changing that lately.
Because the frame that holds the Opera house up sits in salt water what they have to do to stop the concrete and steel rusting & rotting they actually have a saltwater desalination plant underneath the building to stop it from falling apart , it is a very complex building.
👍😎
14 years... not 40 years to construct. It was opened by the Queen in the 1970s. There is a large mural in the north foyer based on a poem. My father built the frame (he was a carpenter by trade) for the mural, and my uncle helped the painter to paint it. I have a photograph of the two of them working on the mural and the frame in the warehouse before it was installed in the Opera House. My first singing teacher (I am a classically trained soprano) was Gertrude Concannon who was a famous singer in her younger days. She told me about a concert in her honour with a young 16 year old soprano who told Gertrude (after the concert) how she wanted to be a singer like Gertrude. Her name? Joan Sutherland. I have performed in most of the rooms of the Opera House. Opera Theatre, Concert Hall, and a number of the smaller performance spaces. It is wonderful. Kevin McCloud is the presenter for the British (and original) Grand Designs program. There are now Australian and New Zealand versions of the program, with local hosts) where they look at people building homes and the process they go through. Usually with unusual designs or construction methods.
It's turning 50 next year. It wasn't quite finished when we arrived in Australia in 1972. Saw Billy Connolly in the concert hall. It's a great room...
I'm a Canadian and I have been to Australia. I have been to the Opera House. The host of the show has a series of unique buildings. I used to watch his shows all the time.
Yep. The inspiration for the Opera House design was the SAILS of the boats on the Sydney harbour. The design really captures that feel. Further, each sail when when put together will make a sphere. Very cool.
I actually have sung at the opera house. I was part of huge kids choir but I was there! I was about 12 and I recall having to walk around what seemed like a labyrinth to get to where we had to sit. It seemed quite magical then and that’s part of the joy of it.
Quite a magnificent building. You just didn't hear opera at the Opera House, Prince had a couple of gigs there as well. He said it was his favourite venue 😆
Have seen many performances there over the years. Its always a special buzz, I once sat in the same seat as the Queen! 😁
Sydney Opera House as a 'screen' for Vivid - is magical. Also New Years Eve fireworks around The Harbour - The House and The Bridge is Iconic.
The woman at the beginning is the CEO of the building, as it has 7 theatres of various sizes and a lot of restaurants. The resident performing companies, including Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, are separate.
When we were kids growing up in Sydney, nearly every school child would go to at least one of the special concerts they hold for music education. And we all got to perform at the Opera House, usually in the main concert hall, either singing or playing recorder with combined schools concerts. There's also a theatre hall there where I've seen plays in the summer season and there are regular concerts throughout the year - not just opera. When they say 10 million people visit a year, that includes all ages and all kinds of people, for lots of different events. Oh, and the giant staircase is not the only way in👍
I arrived in Circular Quay Sydney in January 1960. As the ship pulled into the Quay I could see the last of the old tram barns being demolished on Benalong Point to make way for the Opera house. In 1970 my girlfriend and I moved to the Rocks underneath the Harbour bridge with a perfect view under the bridge across the Quay to the Opera house. In 1973 we watched the opening of the Opera House from our front veranda. We went to see the second opera performed there Nubulco and in January 1974 we married and moved tomCanada. So I watched the place grow from a hole in the ground to a finished building. Still my favourite building.
Somewhere online you might be able to find a doco about the innovative airconditioning system that cools the Sydney Opera House. It uses the harbour water under the building as a heat sink. It was designed by the original architect I think. It's a pretty amazing system, even moreso when you realise it was designed at a time that being 'green' didn't really matter to many people.
There is a really good episode of Engineering Connections all about the Sydney opera house if you're interested
The panels of tiles over the sails, no two panels are the same. Each panel of tiles was made separately. The only building I’ve seen that comes close to it is the Baha’i lotus temple in Delhi. The sad thing about it though was a dispute between the State Government and the architect Jan Utzon. Utzon quit and left Australia. He never physically saw the completed building.
It's a shame that he designed such an iconic building that is recognised world wide and never saw the end result credit to him though 🙏
A magical building! I have been there many times, and I am in awe every visit
I've performed in the Drama Theatre inside the Opera House for a complete season. I was a henchman for a wealthy woman in The Visit. I got to play guitar & sing an Elvis song that was added into the show, Are You Lonesome Tonight.
Really is a beautiful piece of architectural art , the light shows are amazing too
A quick addition: a great event here are the fireworks over the Harbour Bridge on New Year's Eve which are telecast. They light up the Opera House. See if you can find those from last week.
Sydney Opera House is truly magnificent. I think a lot of Sydneysiders are so used to seeing its “sails” right on the Harbour that they forget how much of an epic feat it was at the time it was built. It took 14 years to build, and apart from operas there are also lots of different live shows produced in its many performance areas. It comes alive during VIVID (an amazing light show once a year) when images and art are projected onto its sails. Light shows also happen at other important times during the year - like on 🇦🇺Australia Day in January each year. Whenever I ride on a public ferry from Circular Quay and glide past those sails I can’t help but take photos. We are so lucky to have this building, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Botanic Gardens to visit any day of the year. You MUST come down under to visit us Ryan👍😎
In terms of accessibility there’s a big multi levelcarosrk underneath, so when you go there to see something you just park underneath
Or take a ferry, bus, train or tram to Circular Quay and take the short (probably less than half a mile) but spectacular walk along the shore of Sydney Harbour to get to the Opera House. Circular Quay is a major transport hub, so is very easily accessible. Or try catching a train to Milson’s Point Railway Station and walk on the pedestrian footway over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and back to The Rocks and Circular Quay, taking in the magnificent views from above of the Opera House, Sydney Harbour and Sydney CBD.
It was originally paid for by a state lottery, 'The Opera House Lottery". Tickets were two bucks with a sixty grand top prize.
I had the pleasure of a private tour behind the scenes just after it opened by a tradie friend working there. An amazing building and a beautiful setting on Sydney harbour.
You’re right about it looking like a boat - it’s supposed to be evocative of sail boats sails.
I catch the ferry most mornings, travelling past this building uplifts me every time. It’s Australia’s Parthenon
Should see the secrets of the Opera House to blow your mind even further
Kevin McCloud hosts a show about architecture called Grand Designs in the UK. Kevin came to Australia for a series of shows and the Opera House was featured in this episode, that's why he asking the questions in that way. 🤗
I have been to the opera at the opera house. Our amazing Opera Australia (which was the Australian Opera at the time). It was fabulous. Hope I can get back there a bit more. I'm also old enough to remember when it was being built in the 60s.
Not 40 years to construct, but rather 14.
It is truly a remarkable building. Joern Utzon, the architect, entered the design competition with what is best described as a concept sketch. It won and then the trouble started. Utzon had to turn his sketch into a proper construction plan. I've forgotten the time this took, but there were enormous problems. On the way, the design of the shells changed from the pretty free-form shapes envisaged into those you see now. A lot of work went into sorting out what most of us don't see - the stage machinery, the dressing and rehearsal rooms, workshops to make sets and so forth. Utzon had really not addressed any of these issues.
The building as it is now was opened in 1973, about 16 years after Utzon's design success. There are restaurants and informal eating places as well as the performance facilities. I could not guess how many performances we've seen there over the years. Operas, of course, but also plays and concerts. It's hard to say when is the best time to see it, but a summer sunset like today's would have to rank high. It has its problems, chief of which is the lack of decent parking coupled with wide open (and uncovered) areas from the House to public transport. But these can't detract from the great achievement.
The images on the 'Sails' you saw are light shows that are reflected on the opera house - They are all different and usually connected to whatever is current or going on or celebrated at the time.
"Spiritual accessibility of a building...' lol, good one Kevin, full of it as per usual
The English presenter is from an English tv show "Grand Designs" & some of the grand design's he's showed were projected to be finished by X date & 6, 12, or even 18 months later the job finished. That's why he asked the CEO of the Sydney Opera house "are you sure renovations will be finished on time,?"
Hello Ryan, you know the opera house change colour on different festivities. I’m pretty sure that it lights up on New Year eve I’m guessing. And I hope to hear from you soon 🌺🦋🌈💖❤️😊😘🙏🏻from Edith in Queensland Australia 🇦🇺
Kevin McCloud is an Englishman who has a Channel 4 show called 'Grand Designs'. He came to Australia to see the Sydney Opera House.
British presenter Richard Hammond did a really interesting episode of his Engineering Connections program on the Sydney Opera House that has a lot of information about the construction if you want to delve further. Definitely woth looking at.
My grandfather helped build the Opera House.
The sails of the Opera House are lit up with projected images for all sorts of events. Quite amazing to watch.
Kevin hosts a British architectural program, so it makes sense that he’s discussing the bones of the building, more than showing its performances.
re the shape of the sails, sthe story is that Utzon (architect, Dainish) came up with the design by carving an orange.... ) The actual theatres/Opera house is built within the sails, so the sails are not the actual internal walls of the venues. Until the upgrades there were a huge number of steps to get from the concorse to the theatre levels... It was designed for the very fit! And while people (at teh time) complained about the cost - particularly the conservative politicians that inherited the project, it was almost completely funded by a lottery! Its well worth a visit when you, your partner and child come to Australia! (note the "when" not "if"!)
It was designed to look like sails in the wind. Beautiful building. The lights shows are projected onto the sails and it depends on what we are celebrating. Vivid is a month long light show in Sydney projecting scenes onto all of the CBDs famous buildings and structures.
It is an amazing building and I have had the privilege to sing in the main theatre.
I reckon the best view is from the deck of the Manly Ferry as it approaches Circular Quay. The most beautiful harbour in the world adorned with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge is something very special indeed. But being a country lad, I couldn't cope living there.
The Manly ferry, or any ferry really is a great way to appreciate the Opera House from a different angle being, from the water! It's spectacular on a sunny Sydney day
The Opera house looks magnificent from the top of the Harbour bridge, as I found out climbing it.
When Jorn Utzons' design won the competition for the proposed opera house the technique for building it had yet to be worked out. It was extremely difficult to work it out and when Utzon hadn't come up with a solution after a long period of time the committee threw the problem on the table for others in the field to come up with a solution but the answer remained elusive. Then one day Utzon was sitting and pondering the problem while absent mindedly peeling an orange. He looked at the pieces and considered them for a while and stood 2 pieces up on end and there was the sail design in 3D. This was his Eureka moment. I don't know how that solved the method of construction outside of standardising the process for all of the sails though.
i remember the Opera house lottery. If you won you were set up. If you lost you got an Opera house. I approve of this type of gambling.
The opera house site was a tram depot before which is amazing for such a beautiful site.
I was lucky to be able to look at The Sydney Opera House for 20 years when I worked in Sydney, I have walked around it sat on the steps at the front, was a 7 year old that was there for the openung but I have never ever been inside it.
Some of the lower dressing rooms are actually partially under water. I remember being there in the 80s for some kind of schools concert and the windows down there were 2/3rds under the water. It was cool.
The sails, when put together, make the shape of an orange 🍊 The works have finished and the concert hall is all 'go' from now on.
That show is a fancy Architecture show from England. So the host is an architect and he goes around England and sometimes Australia checking out people’s grand designs in houses. They can be highly unconventional and crazy or super creative.
I was there when the Queen opened it and I’ve visited it every year since. Just love it.
It's a really beautiful building. I took my kids on the tours when they were quite young and they loved it. The acoustics are amazing. My kids were singers and would get quite excited. You could let off a gun in the auditorium and it won't echo.
The lights on the outside are a projection. The first concert I went to in the Opera House was a Led Zepplin tribute band (heavy metal in case you don't know) . While it gleams in the daylight ir glows at night.
Hi Ryan, l had the privilege of singing in front of the Queen in my choir with choirs from many schools also so singing as well, it was for the opening for the Opera House....
That was a projection on the Opera House. Every June (our winter) we have 'Vivid', which had light projections on the Opera House, on Customs House Library, the Royal Botanic Gardens and other places around Sydney plus other light installations, some of which are interactive. Its a free attraction that goes for 2 to 3 weeks at night.
The Opera House often has other projections on it for specific occasions such as memorial or a celebration.
it also has nightly projections of First Nations art on the sails facing the Botanical Gardens.
The Opera House was lit up in pink as a tribute to the late Olivia Newton John.
The first night of the Opera House was 20 October 1973 and the audience were all invited guests. The second night was for the public, and a lottery of sorts was arranged, it was free to enter but if you were one of the lucky ones you got 4 tickets which you then paid for. I was 18 and my dad won a set of four tickets. The performance was the Daly Wilson Big Band.
Sydney Harbour IS beautiful. The Opera House is beyond sensational. Over the years I have seen Operas, Concertos, punk rock concerts etc. It is for every one. It IS for the people. The changes in the Concert Hall have been lauded as brilliant, even beyond expectation. You can have a beer or a cocktail on the Harbour front with million dollar views for the price of the drink. I understand your derisive tone but really if you don't see it then you are missing out. We don't, I go there regularly. Your loss if you don't visit. Millions do every year.
Been there many times for many events, functions, symphonies, operas and even a few movies. It was even in the view from my loungeroom for some years. Pick a good event and have an excellent time. It's an amazing building. :)