Endless protective coats of olive oil mixed with methylated spirits

November 13, 2017 9:18 PM

“It’s lovely to drive by on a motor boat and it has a very nice crew and very capable, but the acoustics are hideous,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “For a catholicity of reasons, it’s not the wisest place to put on anything…with the possible exception of maybe a circus.” -- Sydney's beautiful but impossible Opera House.
posted by Chrysostom (11 comments total)

There is also the need to defend the building against the indecent amorous attentions of the occasional too-enthusiastic visitor, for whom the concrete crevices are, it seems, erotically irresistible. (Louise Herron declined to discuss the issue of “objectophiles” on the record.)
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:32 PM on November 13, 2017 [4 favorites]

That is a spectacular amount of acoustics nerdery for a general audience publication. Delightful.
posted by prismatic7 at 9:42 PM on November 13, 2017

you had me at "catholicity"
posted by yesster at 10:34 PM on November 13, 2017 [9 favorites]

I'll be linking this article a lot in the weeks to come, because my hometown of Wichita is currently facing a similar conundrum. The Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center may not be as breathtaking as Sydney Opera House, but it is often a feature of depictions of the Wichita skyline, and similar complaints have become commonplace: the acoustics aren't great. Sound bleeds through the walls, and so arguably too many spaces are crammed under the same roof. The circular design (with "backstage" in the center) means crews have to bring all the props and sets through the general admission doors; there's no receiving dock for the theaters where they can just pull their trucks up and unload directly. I feel like this article may help contextualize some of these issues.
posted by jsnlxndrlv at 10:50 PM on November 13, 2017 [2 favorites]

Apparently, we've come a long way from the time Vitruvius spent an inordinate amount of attention to hollow amphorae placed around very precisely shaped amphitheaters to improve the sound for everyone in the audience.
posted by Laotic at 11:24 PM on November 13, 2017 [4 favorites]

Note: the pull quote is a direct quote from actor John Malkovich.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:35 PM on November 13, 2017 [3 favorites]

The circular design (with "backstage" in the center) means crews have to bring all the props and sets through the general admission doors; there's no receiving dock for the theaters where they can just pull their trucks up and unload directly.

Seriously?! A huge public venue designed by someone with no conception of underground access tunnels? Sounds like they got their money's worth there.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 4:38 AM on November 14, 2017 [3 favorites]

So you're saying it was no great loss when Carmen Sandiego stole it?
posted by entropone at 4:40 AM on November 14, 2017 [2 favorites]

Man ‘o War Steps was hugely entertaining on Sunday. As I queued up to get to Wine Island, one woman was so stonkered from her tasting that she fell off the pier and had to rescued by three heroic guys who dove in to save her.
posted by unliteral at 5:41 AM on November 14, 2017

I read a book with a title like Great Planning Disasters that had a chapter or two on the Sydney Opera House.
posted by puddledork at 6:50 AM on November 14, 2017

It’s a huge space, where I imagine the sound must be very beautiful. But no one’s sitting up there. Unless you hang them from a rope.
Yikes.
posted by MengerSponge at 10:55 AM on November 14, 2017