Which opera was the first performed inside the Sydney Opera House in 1973?

Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace was the first opera performed inside the Sydney Opera House in 1973.

The large-scale opera is based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace and follows events surrounding the French invasion of Russia in 1812. Prokofiev began composing it during the Second World War and later revised it substantially. The work combines intimate scenes involving Natasha and Andrei with monumental military and historical episodes.

The Sydney Opera House opened officially on 20 October 1973. Its first opera performance took place in the Opera Theatre on 28 September 1973, when the Australian Opera presented War and Peace before the building’s formal opening. The production was conducted by Edward Downes.

The opera is sometimes confused with the first event held in the completed building or with the first performance at the official opening ceremony. Those distinctions matter: War and Peace was the first opera staged there, while the building’s broader opening celebrations included other events.