Floating like a glass-and-stone ocean liner on the water across from the royal palaces of Amalienborg, the Copenhagen Opera House is one of the most striking modern buildings in Denmark. Opened in 2005 on the island of Holmen, a former naval base, it was a private gift to the state from the Mollers shipping family and quickly became a focal point of the harbour skyline. Designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsen, the house sits beneath a vast cantilevered roof that hangs out over the harbour, sheltering a glassed-in foyer wrapped around the central auditorium. Inside, the main hall seats around fifteen hundred and is faced with maple, with a striking gold-leaf ceiling that hovers above the stalls. The building is the home stage of the Royal Danish Opera, one of the oldest opera companies in the world, founded in the seventeenth century, and it hosts a full season of operas, ballets and concerts. A smaller stage caters to chamber works and new music, broadening the programme beyond the grand repertoire. The harbour-front siting was the source of fierce debate when the project was announced, with critics arguing that the house broke the historic axis from Amalienborg, but the strong architecture and the lively cultural life within have largely won over the city. The view from the foyer back across the water to the palaces is now one of the city signature scenes. Guided tours take visitors behind the scenes when the stages are dark, through workshops, dressing rooms and corridors usually closed to the public, while restaurants and a roof terrace open out over the harbour for pre-show drinks and dinner. Reached on foot by a graceful pedestrian bridge or by harbour bus, the opera house has become as much a part of the everyday cityscape as a venue for performance, its bold profile defining the modern face of the Copenhagen waterfront. The acoustics of the main auditorium are praised by visiting performers, and the careful tuning of the maple-clad walls and gold-leaf ceiling has made it a favourite recording venue as well as a performance space. Donor controversies surrounded the project at the time of its gift, but the house has since settled into its role as one of the most active opera stages in northern Europe. Backstage tours sell out quickly in the off-season, and the bookable harbour-front restaurant offers some of the best views back across the water toward the royal palaces, especially as the long northern dusk slowly fades over the city skyline.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: Ekvipagemestervej 10, Copenhagen, Denmark

Website: https://kglteater.dk

Capacity: 1492

Opening Date: 15/01/2005