Sydney Opera House by Margot Justes

 

 

A large cosmopolitan city, there is a great deal to see and do in Sydney. Depends on how many days you have to visit, and what interests you.

The iconic Opera House is a must; designed by Danish architect  Jorn Utzon, built between 1959 and 1973. It is by far the most fantastic building I have ever seen.

I’ve seen it morning, noon and evening, and the color of the tiles seems to change at will.

“The sun did not know how beautiful its light was until it was reflected off this building.” A quote by architect Louis Kahn, perfectly described the magnificent changes that occur depending on time of day.

There are some 1,056,006 tiles on the roof, and it was supposed to cost 7 million to built, but as usual, the cost wound up to be considerably higher, to the tune of 102 million.  The funds were collected through the Sydney Opera House lottery.

There are 5 theatres, and there are more than 2,500 performances or events a year. The building is well utilized. I was there on a Wednesday, and house was packed by tourists and locals alike.

I was lucky enough to see Tosca at the Opera House, in the Joan Sutherland Theatre. I had mixed feelings about the production, since it was set during World War II in Italy. The contemporary setting was to attract the younger generation to operatic music. I’m a traditionalist, and my feeling is don’t mess with success. I much prefer the original version, but the tenor Yonghoon Lee was magnificent, and it was still Puccini’s music.

There is a wonderful restaurant in the Opera House, Guillaume at Bennelong, where you dine, rather than just eat. It is due to close New Year’s Eve. Instead of the fine dining, the establishment wants to open a bistro.  There are many bistros all along the harbor, one more would probably get lost in the mix, except for the fact that it is in the Opera House, and they will be able to charge a premium just for the view; back to that old adage, it’s all about the location.

The building is magnificent, and worth a visit just to see it, but there is much more to Sydney.

More next week.

Cheers,

Margot  Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
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www.mjustes.com