Today in History: The Sydney Opera House opens
Jørn Utzon was not even invited to the ceremony, nor was his name mentioned.
After 15 years of construction, the Sydney Opera House was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on this day in 1973.
The $80 million structure, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and funded by the profits of the Opera House Lotteries, was built on Bennelong Point, in Sydney, Australia. Famous for its geometric roof shells, the structure contains several large auditoriums and presents an average of 3 000 events a year to an estimated two million people.
The first performance after the official opening was the Australian Opera’s production of Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace, which was held in the 1 547-seat Opera Theatre.
During the construction phase however, lunchtime performances were often arranged for the workers, with American vocalist Paul Robeson the first artist to perform, in 1960.
Various performances were presented prior to the official opening:
• The first solo piano recital was played in the Concert Hall on 10 April 1973, by Romola Costantino to an invited audience.
• The first opera performed was Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace, in what was then known as the Opera Theatre on 28 September 1973, conducted by the Australian Opera’s Music Director, Edward Downes.
• The first evening performance of an opera was Larry Sitsky’s The Fall of the House of Usher, conducted by Rex Hobcroft and paired with Dalgerie by James Penberthy, to a libretto by Mary Durack. It took place on 25 July 1973.
• The first public concert in the Concert Hall took place on 29 September 1973. It was an all-Wagner orchestral concert performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras, with Birgit Nilsson as the soprano soloist. The first music played was the Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The concert closed with the Immolation Scene from Götterdämmerung.
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