P34 - Australia - Sydney Opera House

Opera House, Sydney, Australia ( UNESCO WHS )

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. The citation stated

"There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent."

The Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the north-eastern tip of the Sydney CBD, surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove), and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Contrary to its name, the building houses several separate venues rather than a single opera theatre, the two main venues, the Opera Theatre and the Concert Hall, being defined by the two larger shells. The Sydney Opera House is a major presenting venue for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony, as well as hosting many touring productions in a variety of performance genres, and is a major tourist attraction. It is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.

悉尼歌剧院位于澳大利亚悉尼，是20世纪最具特色的建筑之一，也是世界著名的表演艺术中心，已成为悉尼市的标志性建筑。该歌剧院1973年正式落成，2007年6月28日被联合国教科文组织评为世界文化遗产，该剧院设计者为丹麦设计师约恩·乌松（Jørn Utzon）。

悉尼歌剧院坐落在悉尼港的便利朗角(Bennelong Point)，其特有的帆造型，加上悉尼港湾大桥，与周围景物相映成趣。每天都有数以千计的游客前来观赏这座建筑。

除了用作观光、演出歌剧、芭蕾舞剧、以及音乐会之外，悉尼歌剧院还是澳大利亚歌剧团、悉尼戏剧团和悉尼交响乐团的所在地。歌剧院由新南威尔士文化部的子机构——歌剧院管委会管理。

悉尼歌剧院主要由两个主厅、一些小型剧院、演出厅以及其他附属设施组成。两个大厅均位于比较大的帆型结构内，小演出厅则位于底部的基座内。其中最大的主厅是音乐厅，可容纳大约2500人。设计的初衷是把这里建造成为歌剧院，后来设计改动了，甚至已经完工的歌剧舞台被推倒重建。音乐厅内有一个大风琴，是由罗纳德·沙普(Ronald Sharp)于1969年至1979年制造的。它被认为是全世界最大的机械木链杆风琴，由10,500根风管组成。

主厅中较小的一个才是歌剧院。由于当初是将较大的主厅设计为歌剧院，小厅被认为不太适合做大型的歌剧演出，舞台相对较小而且给乐队的空间也不便于大型乐队演奏。曾因改造扩建而耗时多年。

其他附属设施则包括戏剧院、影院以及摄影室。一些免费的公共演出也经常在入口的阶梯前举行。

References sources : wikipedia