Opéra de Sydney

Long before the first fleet landed in 1788, the Aboriginal people lived on the present site of Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour. It is estimated that they have been installed on the Sydney site for at least 20,000 years. On the site of the Bay lived several groups, with several languages, the place of the Sydney Opera was called either Tu-bow-gule or Jubgalee in the language of each group.

As soon as the settlers settled in Port Jackson in 1788, Major Phillip tried to communicate with the Aborigines. Faced with the little success of his attempts, he had several of them captured, and one of them, Bennelong, gifted at learning English, was «installed» in a hut at the very place where the famous Opera stands today. In view of his ability to become a «perfect English», Bennelong was taken to London where he died. Today, the place where the Opera is located is called Bennelong Point. Bennelong Point and Opera House.

Among 31 possible sites, Bennelong Point was chosen. In 1956, on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Melbourne, was announced the construction of a great opera and the organization of a competition for its architecture. 233 architects from all countries presented a project. A young Danish, Joern Utzon read about the competition in an architecture magazine. The jury chose Utzon and his project because «in view of the design of the project we are convinced that this opera will be one of the great architectural works of the world».

A national subscription was launched to raise funds for construction. Faced with the little money raised, the Prime Minister had the idea of a lottery to raise the money for the project. In August 1958, the construction of the Sydney Opera House began. However, one of the major challenges of the project was not solved: the revolutionary roof in the form of sails or shells? The technical difficulties were about to begin.
We know today that Utzon was perfectly right and that his opera offers multiple faces. The jury had decided on plans that did not demonstrate the feasibility of this construction, these being too simple technically at this stage.
For three long years, until 1961, Utzon and a firm of architects sought the solution of this roof if new. It is estimated that 350,000 hours of work were swallowed up to find the solution and it was Utzon himself who found it: the roof had to be assembled in prefabricated elements. All would be made from a sphere-shaped base. The foundations of the Opera were dynamized to adapt them to the new heavier roof.

In February 1966, Utzon left the project following multiple disputes with newly elected Prime Minister Davis Hugues. It is true that the Sydney Opera House will cost $102 million out of the $7 million project.

Utzon is blamed for the exorbitant blow, the new prime minister no longer pays Utzon and challenges the design. A team of Australian architects will complete the Opera, but Utzon’s imprint on the appearance of this building is indelible, only the interior architecture of the Opera is not of the Danish architect.
On 20 October 1973, sixteen years after the opening of the building site, the Opera was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. Utzon did not attend the ceremony and his name does not appear on the inauguration plaque at the entrance to the Opera.

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