Sydney Opera

Maybe a week or so ago I started trying to buy tickets to an opera--or any performance, really--at the Sydney Opera House... You know, the iconic one, with all the sails? The site wouldn't process my payment, and then I got stuck with duty the night of the show I really wanted to see, so I was a little cheesed, but hopeful that I would still be able to get tickets at the last minute for a show on Sunday night.

As luck would have it, I bought tickets this morning, and after lunch my buddy and I went out to see if we could find me a skirt and some shoes (I only brought jeans on this circus train). I wound up with this little ensemble:

After we took some pics of the other Sydney icon, the Harbour Bridge, and ourselves in front of the Opera House, we grabbed our tickets and our seats.

The show was fantastic. It was called "The Book of Longing", and it was basically some of Leonard Cohen's (of "Hallelujah" and "Suzanne" fame) poetry set to a Phillip Glass score and sung, with artwork by the poet on a projector screen over the stage. It was brilliant. There's one excerpt I especially appreciated; it was one of the selections recorded by the poet and played, spoken, during the show: You go your way/I'll go your way too. Perfect, really.

The score was heavy on the cello, which was cool for me--that's my fave string (much like the French Horn is my favorite brass instrument, and the alto sax and oboe my favorite woodwinds--I like that mellow alto-tenor thing). And the singers were a mezzo-soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass, so there was no over-the-top opera style singing (though I do actually like opera). The music is difficult to describe, though. I'm no critic. But I liked it. And it was at the Sydney Opera House (which does make it cooler, Shannon).

The theatre itself was awesome, too. There are actually quite a few venues inside the building. I haven't been on the tour (and I doubt I'll go), but there's the Opera Theatre and at least two or three others. I don't actually know which one we were in, but here it is (sans flash, to keep the photography on the sly):

The acoustics were probably better than any venue I've been in. I'm not sure if the instruments were mic'd--the singers were--but the moment that cello opened up, the whole room was filled with sound from floor to ceiling.

The only drawback as far as I was concerned was that I could definitely tell that the place was built in the 70s. *wink*

Tomorrow I think we're going sightseeing. And I'm going to go for a run around the Harbour. Hopefully I can convince the one cool chick I'm out with to come see some better stuff than the zoo and the clubs. 'Cause it's our last night. I want to make it a good one.

Oh, and there are more Sydney pictures in the WestPac album.