Opera set for gala opening
Norwegians were making final preparations for the opening of their new opera house on Saturday, with royalty and other dignitaries arriving in Oslo for the gala event.
 Finally, the Oslo Opera House will become a reality Saturday 12th March 2008 |
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The impressive white marble building, built out into the waters of the Oslo Fjord, was scheduled to be opened this weekend by Norway's King Harald, before other royals, including Denmark's Queen Margrethe, and political leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The opera, with one 1,350-seat auditorium, and a second seating 400, is built at Bjørvika, close to where the Vikings founded the original Oslo 1,000 years ago.
Oslo-based architecture firm Snøhetta said the 38,500-square meter (415,000 sqare feet) opera is the largest cultural building raised in Norway since the Nidaros Cathedral was completed in Trondheim over 700 years ago.
From the outside, the most striking feature is the sloping stone roof, made up of 36,000 specially cut pieces. It has been described as a fifth wall, designed so visitors can walk up the gentle incline to the top, and look out over the city and the fjord.
Inside, walls are lined with wood, much of it crafted by Norwegian boat builders, and art worth about NOK 60 million (USD 12 million), plus Norway’s largest glass window.
Cramped seating
Even as preparations were taking place, the Norwegian media was reporting cramped conditions for audiences in the new opera house.
With just 66 centimeters from seatback to seatback, viewers will be forced to enjoy performances with a minimum of legroom.
Aftenposten.no made a visit to the opera house with a ruler in hand, and confirmed that the distance between rows of seats was less than that of most airlines.
The report prompted one reader to ask if this is what it means to "suffer for art."
Another reader wondered if the builders of the opera house misunderstood that it is the artist, and not the public, that is supposed to suffer.
Yet another reader suggested the cramped sitting conditions would help the audience to stay awake during performances.
Most comments, however, expressed a pride in the new opera house, which has been many years in the making.
Catherine Stein
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