There are only a handful of structures in the world which act as a symbol for their country: Big Ben in London, the Empire State Building in New York, the Great Wall of China – and the Sydney Opera House. Its gleaming white shells, which seem to float on the deep blue waters of Sydney Harbour, are instantly recognisable. Yet the Sydney Opera House almost never happened; there were so many problems that the whole project was dubbed ‘Malice in Blunderland’.
In the early 1950s, it would be fair to say that Australia was something of a cultural desert. Although there were bright spots here and there, artistically ambitious young Australians tended to pack their bags and head for London or Europe. Eventually, Eugene Goossens, the director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music, thought it was high time that prosperous, post-War Australia had some significant cultural landmarks of its own. Goossens lobbied the NSW government to build a venue big enough to showcase large theatrical productions. The Premier thought this was a great idea, and advertised internationally for designs for an opera house.
More than 230 entries flooded in from 32 countries. The winner was Denmark’s Jørn Utzon, who moved to Sydney in 1957 and got to work. Things got off to a fine start a year later, when the tram depot on the site was demolished – but then the problems began. For a start, Utzon was still working with sketches, not a final design. Because work had begun before the engineering had been fully thought out, major structures had to be rebuilt. Worse, nobody knew how to build the ‘shells’ of the original design; there simply wasn’t an engineering solution to be had that was economical. The problem wasn’t solved until 1961 – thanks to the earliest ever use of computers for structural analysis – pushing the project’s deadline and budget to breaking point.
But the real disaster came in 1965 when a new state government was elected – one which was hostile to the whole project. The daughter of Davis Hughes, the new Minister for Public Works, even publicly boasted that her father was going to sack Utzon. There was no need. Utzon, tired of the wrangling, resigned from the project and went back to Denmark. Meanwhile, the Sydney Opera House, beset by architectural problems, lurched on. When it finally opened in 1973, it was ten years late and 1,400% over budget. The first opera held there was, fittingly, War and Peace. But in the decades since then, Utzon’s vision has been recognised as a landmark building of the twentieth century.
Today, according to Sydney Opera House spokesman Steven Reilly, there are around 2,500 shows a year performed there. But even with all that going on, it’s still possible to take a tour and slip into the secret parts of the building – as long as you’re prepared to get up early. “The Backstage Tour starts at 7am,” says Reilly. “It’s the only time we can get people into those areas. We have to limit the tour to eight people at a time, because you go in some confined spaces.”
The tour goes deep into the Sydney Opera House, taking in the dressing rooms, performance spaces and the orchestra pit, among other parts. “You go through a series of doors,” says Reilly. “And then suddenly you find yourself standing on the stage itself. Everybody gasps.”
Afterwards, everyone has breakfast in the Green Room, the lounge where performers and staff eat. Although it’s early in the day, it’s possible you’ll bump into somebody famous having a coffee before a rehearsal. If that’s too early for you, there is also the Essential Tour, where a guide takes you under the sails and where you’ll see the story of the Sydney Opera House projected onto the fabric of the building. There are also tours with Korean, Mandarin and Japanese speaking guides.
Reilly says another great way to experience the building is to take High Tea at Guillaume at Bennelong, the restaurant that sits under the southernmost shell, where you can look out over the Harbour to the city. Although the High Tea was originally created for tourists, Reilly says it now attracts as many locals as visitors. “It’s a creative menu that comes with a 25 minute opera recital. A lot of the singers come from Opera Australia - it’s a great experience.”
Another great way to experience the Sydney Opera House is, of course, to go to a performance, from comedy, drama, ballet, pop concerts and recitals to symphonies. And, of course, there’s the opera. There’s even an opera about the Sydney Opera House, which is sometimes put on – called The Eighth Wonder, it’s the story of a visionary architect driven out by petty bureaucrats.
In recognition of how badly Utzon had been treated, the Sydney Opera House Trust sought his help in the late 1990s as a design consultant to make modifications to the interior. And in 2003, Utzon was finally awarded the internationally prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. As jury member Frank Gehry said: “Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, far ahead of available technology, and he persevered through extraordinary malicious publicity and negative criticism to build a building that changed the image of an entire country. It is the first time in our lifetime that such an epic piece of architecture gained such universal presence.”
A fitting subject for an opera, indeed.
To book a Sydney Opera House tour or a place at High Tea, call (02) 9250 7250 or visit
www.sydneyoperahouse.com