Copenhagen Opera House

The opera house was paid for entirely by the Moller shipping foundation and given to the state, opening in 2005, and its position was fixed by the donor: directly across the harbour on the axis that runs from the Marble Church through Amalienborg palace square, so the three buildings line up across the water. Henning Larsen designed it, with a huge cantilevered roof projecting over the harbour front, a foyer wall of glass, and three large suspended light spheres in the ceiling. The main auditorium seats about 1,500 with a gold leaf ceiling; a smaller studio stage sits below. The foyer is open to the public, and the harbour front outside is a good place to sit whether or not you attend a performance.

History

The A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation donated the opera house to the Danish state in August 2000, and the government and parliament accepted the gift that autumn. Henning Larsen designed it with the engineers Ramboll and Buro Happold and the theatre consultant Theatreplan, with acoustics by Arup Acoustics and lighting by Speirs and Major Associates, while the donor had the final say on the design, adding steel to the glass front among other changes. Construction began in June 2001 and was completed on 1 October 2004, and the opera house opened on 15 January 2005 in the presence of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller and Queen Margrethe II; at 2.5 billion kroner it is one of the most expensive opera houses ever built (Wikipedia, Copenhagen Opera House).

Highlights

• The cantilevered roof - a flat plane projecting far over the harbour.
• The glass foyer - large light spheres suspended in the ceiling.
• The royal axis - the alignment through Amalienborg to the Marble Church.
• The main auditorium - a gold leaf ceiling over 1,500 seats.

When to go

Year round. One to two hours for the foyer and the harbour front; guided tours run on selected days and must be booked. Evening performances are the real reason to come. The building is floodlit after dark.

What to expect

The auditorium is only seen on a tour or with a ticket, and tours are limited. The building was controversial in Denmark for the way it was funded and sited, and opinions locally remain mixed. The harbour bus is the practical way across and runs to a timetable.

Nearby

Amalienborg is directly across the water; Christianshavn is a short walk south.

Key facts