Trifter

It was an incredibly bold plan for a young country – to build one of the world’s most exciting opera houses right on the edge of the most famous harbor in the world. But for the director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, Eugene Goosens, it was a dream that refused to die. He visualised this magnificent building on Bennelong Point, overlooking the waters of Sydney harbour, and in 1954, he finally found the support he was looking for.

The design of the new opera house had to be new, modern – and stunning. Archtects from all over the world sent in 233 designs, but it was the creation of Danish architect Jorn Utzen that filled all the criteria. It had a large and small concert hall, and a truly stunning design – white sails rising over Sydney Harbour.

Utzen, who died in November 2008, almost lost the competition, as his entry was discarded among other submissions, but somehow it came to light again, and caused a huge buzz in the arts community, which spread to the rest of Sydney. His elegant sails suddenly seemed to promise everything Goosens had envisioned, and in 1959, the city commited itself to making Utzen’s vision a reality.

But it did not proceed without a lot of heartache. The incredible complexity of the construction soon saw the opera house project running wildly over budget, while the engineers struggled to construct the huge white `sails’ which would cover the building. For six years, the problem threatened to kill the project, but in 1963 it was finally solved, with the help of a computer. Such technology was still in its early stages, but in this case it proved what computers could do in the future.

But more trouble loomed. Utzen’s frustration was exacerbated by the election of Premier Robert Askin and his Liberal Party to the leadership of New South Wales in 1965. Askin hated the opera house, and had spoken out against it before his election. The leader and the architect went head to head with Askin getting the last word because his government controlled the purse strings. When Utzen couldn’t even pay his own staff, the weary Dane tendered his resignation in 1966. Minister for Public Works Davis Hughes accepted it with indecent alacrity.

But the project was too far along to be abandoned. It was finally completed, and officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II, in 1973. Jorn Utzen was completely ignored as the celebrations surrounding the grand opening went ahead. Fireworks blazed over Sydney Harbour, and the triumphant strains of Beethoven’s Ninth filled the concert hall.    India holidays

The dreams of Goosens and Utzen were realized – a truly magnificent and inspiring opera house now overlooked Sydney Harbour, with the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge nearby. A new icon had been created from a vision – but the man whose design made that vision a reality was not to set foot in his creation for 26 years. In 1999 the Sydney Opera House Trust held out the hand of reconciliation, and Utzen was re-engaged as architect to oversee changes to the building. The Utzen room at the opera house is named for him.

With its chequered history, and love-hate relationship with both the public and the government of NSW, sometimes it seemed that the Sydney Opera House would be a giant failure. Many feared it would make Sydney a laughing stock to the world. But time has proved that visions can come true – and who could imagine Sydney Harbour without its Sydney Opera House now?

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