Listen up! I mean my blog is about Norway; our culture, traditions and history and this time I’ll show you one of this centuries most sensational, historical occurrence of the world – well at least in Norway 
We are talking about the largest cultural construction in the nation of 4.7 million people since the Nidarosdomen Cathedral in Trondheim in the 14th century. The opening of Oslo Opera house took place on the 12th of April and I was there last weekend together with my wife and thousands of other curious visitors to take in this Norwegian beauty:
The construction of the 38,500-square meter (415,000 square feet) Opera House is the largest single cultural-political initiative in contemporary Norway and it took five years to build with the cost estimated to 500 million Euros (800 million Dollars). 19 000 square metres of marble cladding have been designed by the artists in collaboration with Snøhetta architects. The surface area consists of more than 33 000 individual stones. The result is an extraordinary building in white marble with a slanting roof surface that rises directly from beneath the waters of the Oslo fjord. I took hundreds of picture that sunny Saturday and have prepared a small collection for you:
As you can see from the picture, especially #10, 11 and 12: this will also be the first opera house in the world where visitors can take a walk on the roof!
The structure is covered in marble slabs, boasts more than 1000 rooms, art valued at 5.6 million € (7 million $) and a chandelier in the main concert hall that consists of 17,000 glass units. The main entrance – a crevasse-like slit in its white marble facade – leads into a happily meandering, informal lobby wrapped around the auditorium. Timber ramps, with superbly crafted detailing made by traditional Norwegian boat builders, lead up from cloakrooms clad in hexagonal screens by the artist Olafur Eliasson, and extraordinarily beautiful lavatories (really), to bars and lobbies, and finally to the hush of the auditorium:
We went inside of course and here are a small collection of photos:
The Opera House is a project which the Norwegian people have followed closely over the last 5 years. It is a beautiful sculpture of a building, and intended to be an Opera for the people to enjoy. It is giving us an aesthetic arena for culture and bringing dance, ballet, classical concerts and especially Opera into the lives of the people and breathing new life into the cultural scene in Oslo. So this is another reason for you to visit Norway – when are you coming?
Update:
Go visit my wife’s post about the same trip and see it from her – different and very interesting – prospective!
April 29th, 2008 at 12:43 am
That’s it! I’m on my way! That looks an amazing building – London needs a landmark building like that.
I love Olafur Eliasson’s work. He had an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London called ‘The Weather Project’ which was the best art installation I have ever seen. It was in the large turbine hall I believe it was the most popular exhibition they have ever had in that space. Magnificent.
RennyBA
Great Diane – see you at Oslo Opera House then
I did not know about Eliasson before I did the research for this post and I do agree with you; Magnificent.
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April 29th, 2008 at 1:00 am
It’s beautiful. Congratulations on having such a wonderful place to visit to soak up the finer things in life. Loved your slideshows too. Have a great day.
RennyBA
Thanks Sandee – wish you a great one too
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April 29th, 2008 at 1:02 am
[...] RennyBAâ
April 29th, 2008 at 1:03 am
[...] RennyBAâ
April 29th, 2008 at 1:09 am
Lovely pictures!! The Opera house is so beautiful, I had a hard time visualizing it when it was under construction, but the end result is fantastic. Thank you for a lovely Saturday afternoon date
RennyBA
I do agree my dear and to experience this together with you added a new dimension for me. You really have a great post about the house too!
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April 29th, 2008 at 2:25 am
you know, as i look at the pictures of the outside and see the stark white and consider the last post i can’t help but think of it as a place to ski. hehehehe. i mean that in a way fond of your tradition and cultures, not in any critical comment about the architecture. i love the way the outside has so many levels so easily accessible and how the warmth of the wood inside contrasts with the coolness of the white. it certainly does look like a venue to be proud of.
RennyBA
It’s not critical at all Michelle as I think you’ve the nail on the head. Go read Diane’s post and see you think very much the same!
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April 29th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Great architecture!
RennyBA
Thanks for the compliment!
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April 29th, 2008 at 2:53 am
I’m not a fan of opera … but the building looks awesome!
RennyBA
Me either, but this building is exciting anyway and I will love to go there for a concert just for to hear the acoustics.
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April 29th, 2008 at 2:55 am
It is totally beautiful! Mmmmmm, let’s see. Greta, puppies, well I’ll be busy all summer, but then, who knows!
RennyBA
I know you are busy at the moment, but hopefully one day. And there is a lot more we would love to show you too you know!
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
Oh wow this looks beautiful !! In India Opera doesn even exist so we just see Opera on T.V. Set
and that too rarely ;[ . That building looks amazing ..and it was built in 5 years ? Thats a great architectrue though !
Cheers sir !
thanks for letting us so much more about your country , i hope i do tell u all about india , ofcourse when i am atleast a legal adult ( i dont have the permission to go alone and that too with cameras !!)
take care !
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Very interesting architecture. Hopefully, this will become an iconic building for Norway too, like the one at Sydney is for that city!
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April 29th, 2008 at 7:29 am
It certainly is unique, Renny. I don’t care much for opera, but maybe they’ll have rock concerts as well. If so, I’d certainly be willing to go there to see the Rolling Stones or U2, or another group.
Hope your week is a good one!
Love and hugs,
Diane
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April 29th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Great architecture! Wonderful modern looking building!
A fantastic asset to your country !
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April 29th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Having just seen Sydney’s Opera House here in Australia, Renny, gives new meaning to YOUR beautiful structure. You can be very proud of it! Maybe we’ll get to see it some day!
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April 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Wow! Gorgeous! Wondering if paying for this translates into a high price for a ticket? What’s the cost of 1 ticket? I’m not really into Opera but I imagine this is designed for excellent acoustics.
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
[...] stop by RennyBA’s Terella if you haven’t already been there and see his wonderful pictures and historical information [...]
April 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Hey RennyBA, arent we getting demanding here starting our posts with LISTEN HERE! LOL
Someday I will get there, but for now, as you know, I now have the Finlandian socks so I am on my way!
Be well, my friend.
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April 29th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
oh! I forgot to say that I love the stairs!!! I have a lot of stair and doorway pics, most from INdia….
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April 29th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
What an impressive building, both from the outside and inside!
I can imagine myself watching and listening to an opera, acoustics must be great!
Greetings from Holland =)
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April 30th, 2008 at 4:04 am
Sorry, I read Mrs.’s first! I like your pictures too, especially the stairway. And as I told your wife, the building looks like a building made for cold. Can’t explain why… it’s just the feeling I get. I wouldn’t picture the place in let’s say Mexico. Funny eh?
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April 30th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Thank You~!!! Yes I read about this from our local media and it is awesome, thank you Renny
Nice photo!!
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April 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
What a fantastic building!! and you were there for the opening, what a treat! thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures. I knew about this because we watch German news and followed the impact of Mrs Merkel’s “decolleté” that evening, lol!
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April 30th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Hello Renny,
Great building! It is a beautiful architectural artform!
I loved seeing that people have a lot of walking areas, which is nice. I also appreciated the coffee area: full of light and space. The day was really sunny!
I must thank you for the photo show: it is nice of you to share your promenade with us all
!
You are right, one more reason to visit Norway
!
!
Now I am off to read your wife’s article
Cheers
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April 30th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
whoah!!what a great architectural place!!its so artistic and stylish as well!!
I won`t ask if you enjoyed your time coz It is so obvious,haha!
I wonder why an opera house always built by the sea just like Sydney`s?
is there any reason or just a coincidence?
ok,gotta visit Diane`s place!i miss a lot of her posts,I guess.
ghee
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May 1st, 2008 at 6:30 am
wow, i like the modern feel of the architecture. that opera house looks so cool!
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May 1st, 2008 at 8:23 am
Excellent post about the new Oslo Opera House – it is really an exciting building, which you so eminently have described in words and with photos.
As Lime said: It looks like a place to go skiing. Did she knew there are plans for that? LOL.
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May 1st, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Hi Rennyba:
Thank you for stopping by and for the comments & compliments.
Thank you for your vote.
Sure will visit Norway via ur blog. I love culture and people. Btw Nice and clean details in here.
Cheers!
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May 2nd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
do you know any information about this subject in other languages?
RennyBA
Well, you could always try Google’s translate.
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May 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Really impressive! Normally I’m not so found of modern architecture, but they really have succeeded with this one. Spectacular!
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May 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Haven’t come across this news story in the UK which is kind of unusual because it is a great looking building – attractive, interesting and original! Looks like the kind of building that will probably become iconic.
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May 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
It is such a beautiful architecture the way the building is made to merge with nature!
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May 6th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
[...] can read more about Norway’s new Opera House on Renny Bakke Amundsen’s blog [...]
May 11th, 2008 at 11:08 am
That first photo is stunning!!! What an extraordinary building, it gives an glorious sense of space on various levels. Is the cafe/restaurant open to the general public or only those who are there to watch a performance?
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May 12th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
[...] moment in the dialogue. Take a look: For those who haven’t seen the Opera House in Oslo, check my post from a week ago! We talked about our experiences from the meeting on Thursday and I suggested we arranged a [...]
May 24th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I was at this fantastic building last week on Friday 16th. You need to have ago at walking on its roof to know exactly what it feel like. But be warned, don’t bring your skateboard along, you might get tempted.lol
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February 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
realy it is so nice but also crazy i must to see it life and i did not hear about olafur but i do search about him and he is amazing
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May 5th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
[...] New Oslo Opera House in Norway A guided tour in Oslo with David Gurteen Olga at the New Oslo Opera House [...]
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June 29th, 2009 at 12:25 am
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September 21st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
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October 30th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
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