Dr Forsyth, architect and Director of Studies at our Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering, gave a series of lectures on European opera houses in Turkey last month.
The lectures entitled Palaces of Music: opera houses of Europe and their acoustics traced the rise of opera, the evolution of opera house architecture and the remarkable effect this had on opera house acoustics.
Dr Forsyth spoke also of the social and musical history of these great buildings, proving that the human stories were just as interesting as the architectural ones and that there was as much intrigue and passion off stage as on.
The lecture at SALT Galata in Istanbul proved very popular, and over 150 people attended the Arkas Art Centre in Izmir to hear Dr Forsyth speak.
Dr Forsyth said: “It was amusing in Izmir that everyone was handed a notebook and pencil to make notes and sketches. I think the Margrave’s Opera House in Bayreuth alone would have tested even the best draftsperson in the time we had.”
The lectures featured the work of world-renowned photographer Ahmet Ertuğ who Dr Forsyth worked with on the books Palaces of Music: opera houses of Europe and Domes: a journey through European architectural history. The pair are now researching a book on industrial heritage and the characterisation of industrial landscapes with Dr Marion Harney, who is also a Director of Studies in the Department, for publication in 2014.
Dr Forsyth also wrote the award-winning book Buildings for Music: the Architect, the Musician and the Listener from the seventeenth century to the present day.