It’s Monday and the weather has been perfect. Mostly sunny with occasional cloudiness and a daytime high in the mid to upper 70’s. Today we have two tours on our agenda, a walking tour of the Rocks and a tour of the Sydney Opera House. It is a short walk from our hotel to the Opera House which is constructed on the end of a short peninsula jutting out into Sydney Harbor. Between the Opera House and The Rocks to the west is the Sydney Cove where all the ferries connect and where the Cruise Ship terminal is located. We got up early and had the breakfast provided by the Executive Lounge which is a full on buffet with fruit and eggs and Bacon (looks and tastes like ham to me) Toast, cerals and of course Coffee. I have not found Diet Dr Pepper yet so I have been having Coke Zero as my wake up juice.
We are at the Opera House at 9:29 and are able to get added to the 9:30 tour. Our tour guide is Steve whom I like to call Stephen to prevent confusion with Steve whom we have been travelling with since Thursday. He greats us and ells us the story of the Rich and Powerful, an unkown architect, and the Prime Minister who was singulary focused on the creation of this soon to be landmark.
Our first stop is the lobby of the Joan Luden Playhouse. What I was not aware of is that there are 6 performing arts facilities within the overall shell of the Opera House. Besides the Opera Hall, there is a separate hall for the Symphony, three various size theaters, and a recording studio. It all started in 1956 when the Prime Minister decided that an Opera House at the end of this jetty would make Australia a world player in coming into its own. They held a world wide contest for architects to submit proposals. One of the last to submit a proposal was a Danish Architect Jorn Ultzon. He had never been to Australia and researched the topagraphy from maps and studied what he could about the area. His design was incomplete comapred to all of the other proposals as he only designed the outside shell to represent the sails of the ships that would have been the history of the founding of Australia. The committee chose this design and awarded the contract to supervisor the entire project to Jorn even though he had no experience in building a project of this magnitude.
The first step was to design and construct the foundation which took over 3 years. The exterior walls are 8 feet thick of poured concrete. After completeion they decided that there needed to be some natural light inside and the had to spend a year cutting through the massive walls.
Joan is demonstrating the American custom of holding the door open for others in the group as they exit the theatre.
Forwarned about the play that is currently showing.
The views from the steps of the Opera House are magnificent but so is the view as reflected in the Opera House windows.
This was taken looking directly up as we are about to enter the Symphony Hall lobby. 
Jorn grew up in a nautical family and his father was a naval Architect. Many aspects of the design of the Opera House have Nautical basis for inspiration. Consider the massive elegant windows of the foyer of both the Symphony and Opera Halls which face out towards the harbor. From The outside they provide a unique angular look, but from the inside it resembles the bridge of a large vessel. The angles are purposeful to reduce glare and reflection the same as on a bridge of a ship.
Stephen says that we need to be quiet and he will not be able to speak as we enter into the upper balcony of Symphony Hall. The Orchestra is rehearsing for tonights performance. As we step inside and view the majesty of the interior of the hall, the symphony begins to play the second movement of Beethoven’s 1st Symphony. The sound floats through the air and surrounds you. Every instrument is crystal clear and yet the combination of all brings tears to my eyes. As the orchestra reaches a crescendo, there is a perfectly synchronus pause…….. and that’s when you hear it……..the brilliantly designed acoustics of the Symphony Hall perfectly repeating the sound of the last note. My ears are in heaven.
Despite my pleeding eyes, Stephen ushers us out to continue the tour. The exterior of the Opera House is unique and ahead of its time in many ways. One of the things to notice is that there are no roof extrusions. No pipes, air-condition, antenna, etc. In order to get the shell to look so white, it is covered in ceramic tiles that each distinctive coloring. The tile is not white but shades of tans and grey that create the illusion of pure white when lit by the sun.
During construction in the 1960’s there was a change in government and support of the enormous project came under scrutiny and change. It was behind schedule and grossly over budget. They decided that instead of Jorn Ultzon and his company having complete control, they would create a committee of representatives of the construction, local and national government, and offered Jorn a single represntative seat. Jorn immediately resigned and returned to Denmark never to set foot in Australia again.
The project went dormant as no one was willing to interpet Jorns design’s. Eventually work began again and the Opera House was finished in 1973. a single room with the giant structure is exactly as Jorn had originally designed the interior. It is a the Ultzon studio. During his later years the Opera House reengaged Ultzon and his firm in bringing the Opera House to completion as designed though Jorn never say his design in person. In 2007 It was named a World Heritage sit, only the second time in history where as site was so designated while the designer was still alive.
This concluded the tour and while Joan and Fran browsed through the gift shop, I went to the box office with my fingers crossed. I asked if there might be 4 seats together for tonights performance. The answer floored me, yes…..but…… He said Yes. I said I would take them….. he said “But…. you understand they are behind the orchestra?” Fine I replied. He then said that the conductor of the Toronto Symphony was just here and wanted those seats as the sound is magnificent and you can see the orchestra and especially the conductor clearly. I said YES again and quickly handed him my Visa card.
We are not only going to hear a symphony in the Sydeny Opera House……. but it’s Beethoven. I am so excited the rest of the day will be a blur.
As we are walking back to hotel for some rest before we go for our Rocks walking tour, we happen to pass a group heading to the restaurants by the Opera House and Joan says I think that’s the conductor. He is a short man maybe 5 and 1/2 foot older with white hair. I took his photo so we could confirm it tonight while watching the Symphony. It was him.
I am sooooo excited….
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