From the outside this is without a doubt one of the most recognizable buildings in the world, so discovering how it came into being was fascinating. The winner of the competition was a relatively inexperienced Danish arthitect, Jørn Utzon. His design only made it to the final judging because one of the judging panel arrived late and retrieved his rather rudimentary sketches from the pile of rejects. During the building phase it ran up against almost unsurmountable techical problems, but Utzon was single-minded in his approach and had a clear vision of his intended outcome, which he saw through, but not right to the end. A change of government led to a serious personality clash between Utzon and the newly appointed Minister of Works, which resulted in Utzon resigning from the project.
Sadly he never returned to Australia to see the building completed, although cordial relations have been re-established and his architect son is right now working on a renovation project.
The exterior of the building and its iconic shapes, with their covering of dazzling white ceramic tiles with each chevron surrounded by cream tiles which throw the whiteness into sharper focus are what I personally find the most remarkable. The interiors of the various venues seem relatively less spectacular. Simplicity and functionality are the foremost impression.
Views from inside looking towards the Harbour Bridge can be stunning.
I will be going to the opera tomorrow, so there may be more news to come!
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