Jorn again
The Sydney Opera House has always struck me as an especially appropriate icon for post-war Australia.
As you can read here, it's a structure of multiple entendres: a reminder both of the country's outward-looking internationalism (the New South Wales government held an international competition to find an architect) and its narrow-minded parochialism (the winner, Jorn Utzon, was famously replaced by a local architect following a dispute over cost over-runs).
In its inception are elements of our old friend the cultural cringe (a Danish architect, Utzon, was selected at the instigation of another international architect, Eero Saarinen); but also cultural self-confidence (what epic vision from the New South Wales premier of the time to think that the site of an old tram shed would one day accommodate one of modern architecture's most glorious landmarks).
It was built with the help of new arrivals from southern Europe, funded by lottery money and opened by the Queen in a ceremony which also featured an Aboriginal actor who appeared atop the highest shell.
Three weeks before the opening celebrations, Rolf Harris performed the first concert. He opened with the specially-composed Come to the Sydney Opera House, which was truly dreadful, but redeemed himself later on in the concert with Two Little Boys, Jake the Peg, and, of course, Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport ("it was an incredible thing [that song] because it proved to me... that you can be Australian and be a success," Rolf told the audience that night).
The troubled story of one of the world's most charismatic buildings is oft-told and suitably operatic, and the latest act involves the attempts to gain funding for much-needed backstage improvements. While those renovations take place, the SOH also wants to realise one of Utzon's original visions for the opera theatre.
The price tag is a cool $A600m (£300m) - and that is probably a conservative estimate - and Kevin Rudd has indicated already that the money would be better spent on schools. What do you think?
The Opera House has a habit of monopolising architectural attention, but even without it, Sydney's skyline would be spectacular. There are Harry Seidler's vaunting '60s and '70s skyscrapers and the Italian "starchitect" Renzo Piano's Aurora Place, which references and compliments the Opera House. There is the fabulous art deco of the ANZAC war memorial in Hyde Park along with various colonial gems, from the Hyde Park barracks to the Macquarie Lighthouse.
Often, Olympic cities are endowed with some breath-taking games-related structures. Sadly, Sydney missed out on that front, and Homebush, as Olympic Park is popularly known, is unloved by most Sydneysiders - although its train station is a winner.
Obviously, there are riches elsewhere. Adelaide, the "city of churches", probably has the country's best ecclesiastical architecture, not least St Peter's Cathedral which towers over the Adelaide Oval (which, itself, is an architectural gem, though not for much longer if they go ahead with plans to tear down the George Giffen Stand . Then there is the city's elegant Northern Terrace, the Nineteenth century wings of South Australia Museum in particular.
Along with some fabulous civic and state buildings, and some Seidler skyscrapers, Brisbane has some striking new buildings, like the Brisbane Square Tower by one of Australia's most prolific architectural practices, Denton, Corker, Marshall. GOMA, the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, is winning international acclaim.
Architecturally, Perth has never quite done it for me, although the early 1960s Council House is arguably one of the best modernist buildings in the country - having survived an attempt in the 1990s to demolish it.
As for Canberra, there are some who think that the new Parliament House looks like a chemistry experiment, but it has always worked for me - especially from the sky where you can appreciate its boomerang styling. The new National Portrait Gallery is a very stylish addition to the capital.
Clearly, you have to get out of the cities to savour some of Australia's finest architecture, from Glenn Murcutt's rural homesteads which blend so seamlessly with the landscape they occupy, to Peter Stutchbury's riverside and oceanside residences.
Without reviving and revisiting all the usual civic rivalries, Melbourne is surely Australia's most complete architectural city. Flush with all that 19th Century century gold, it's no surprise that two of its finest buildings are the Old Treasury Building and the Royal Mint. There's a lot of Gothic Revival (St Paul's Cathedral), Venetian gothic (the Rialto Building), French-influence (Princess Theatre), Roman revival (Fitzroy Town Hall), Edwardian baroque (Melbourne City Baths and Flinders Street Station), exotic (the Forum Theatre), Spanish (the conservatory in Fitzroy Gardens) modern Gothic (Manchester Unity Building), art deco and lots of European modernism, which was brought to the city by a lot of European émigrés.
The modern stuff is really strong, from the Exhibition Centre and Melbourne Museum, both of which were designed by Denton, Corker, Marshall, and, more controversially, Federation Square. The new soccer stadium is very funky as is Southern Cross Station, which was designed by the British architect, Nicholas Grimshaw. And what of Melbourne's new Recital Centre.
But I digress. So back to the original question. Should Utzon's original vision for the Opera House finally be realised? Or is Kevin Rudd right, and the money is better on an "educational revolution" rather than an architectural rehabilitation?
UPDATE: A final word on the saintly Cate Blanchett. Having waited nine months for the chance to see her in A Streetcar Named Desire, I happened to be in the audience when she got biffed on the head by a flying prop and had to retire hurt, a cultural casualty...
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But I digress. So back to the original question. Should Utzon's original vision for the Opera House finally be realised? Or is Kevin Rudd right, and the money is better on an "educational revolution" rather than an architectural rehabilitation?
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$300m is a lot of money, it all depends on how the work is done. If it is used as an oppertunity to created jobs for Australians then the money will be well spent and ploughed back into the country. That would have to be a good thing surely?
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Nick Bryant:
UPDATE: A final word on the saintly Cate Blanchett. Having waited nine months for the chance to see her in A Streetcar Named Desire, I happened to be in the audience when she got biffed on the head by a flying prop and had to retire hurt, a cultural casualty...
I am glad, that you had a chance to be in the audience.....of A Streecar Named Desire....
=Dennis Junior=
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Some of the best Australian provincial buildings are in the Victorian goldfields, Sacred Heart in Bendigo, Maryborough Railway Station and Craig's Hotel, Ballarat being personal favourites. And what about those big old W.A. pubs, exemplified by Kalgoorlie's Exchange Hotel?
Melbourne could have been a lot better if they hadn't wrecked so many classic Victorian streetscapes in the 50s and 60s. We were taught from Robin Boyd's "Australian Ugliness" in the 60s in which he railed against Victorian architecture and wanted it all torn down - to be replaced with inhuman scale sculptural architecture and what turned out to be mostly shoddy, short-lived and uninspiring modernism. Perhaps Boyd could go into your "cringe" topic! He hated vernacular suburban "featurism" and the solid-stone "heritage" buildings of the Victorian and Federation eras.
The costs of grand civic architecture is always compared to the number of schools and hospitals that could be built. A pointless comparison - would any Sydneysider, any Australian, now prefer the Opera House hadn't been built, because of the cost?
But public works projects always seem to spiral out of control. Is it because they go for unrealistically cheap quotes in the first place? $300m seems suspiciously low for any significant work
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Aw Nick I really feel for you. What was Joel thinking? Perhaps if you ask Cate nicely she’ll give you another ticket LOL! But seriously, it is a real shame she was accidentally injured and watching Cate perform on stage would have been an awesome experience.
Onto your question:
Firstly, how else did you think Kev would respond? He’s from QLD, don’t ya know (as, like most Queenslanders, he makes a point of telling everyone in his travels around the world. Hmmm … is that his insecure, cultural cringe I wonder? *lol*). Bet you if the Opera House was in good old Brisbane it’s quite likely the response would have been much more enthusiastic *G*.
Honestly, who really knows what the PM's, any politician's, rationale is on most things?
Anyway, on a more serious note again, I think, given that the Opera House is one of our most recognised icons and a key part of the harbour waterfront in that area, this may be money well spent. Why after all this time and the money spent so far, let it get too rundown and outdated? Also, it isn’t just elite performers who use it. Unless things have changed or I'm mistaken, the Opera House is used by many different performance groups, it’s frequently visited by school groups, and of course both overseas tourists and Australian visitors to Sydney luv to stop by and take a pic or two etc.
BTW, just wondering: I'm just curious not having been around at the time it was built and being not old enough to really remember its opening - but how does replacing Jorn Utzon because of a dispute over cost blowouts equate to narrow-minded parochialism?
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A one off State holiday should be declared and it should be called, "Blues Point Tower Explosion Day". Anyone who's interested should be given a rocket propelled grenade with the proviso that it be aimed at the Blues Point Tower. It would be a fitting end to something like Sydney's New Years Eve fireworks.
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Goodness me, after a flurry of cricket blogs Nick has outdone himself with two art and culture posts in a row! I am thrilled he is enjoying the sights and sounds and art of Australia after recovering from Ashes induced insomnia punctuated by micro-sleeps.
However I must question the apparent fact that Rolf Harris was the first to perform at the Sydney Opera House. As much as this might play well with a British audience, I'm not sure it's quite right. It was always my understanding that the brilliant African-American singer Paul Robeson was the first to perform on the site, having climbed on the scaffolding while it was under construction to sing to the workers in 1960. I also believe that the first official public performance was by the Australian Opera Company in the Opera Theatre, followed the next night by Charles Mackerras conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the main concert hall. Where did you source the info on Rolf Harris, Nick?
Yes, for a country so known for its native landscape, it is quite an achievement that Australia is also known for its many architectural flourishes. The Sydney Opera house has got to be one of the most beautiful and spectacular buildings in the world, built in one of the most beautiful and spectacular settings in the world. Just last night I was making my way from Manly to Circular Quay and was presented with one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sunsets behind the city I've ever seen. For a jaded Sydneysider, the fact that I actually looked up and took it all in really says something!
$600m is not beyond our means as a nation, if we spent the money not one man woman or child would miss out on either healthcare and education. We can walk and chew gum, so I say that we invest in our best known man-made landmark. If the government can spend hundreds of millions bailing out auto dealerships, they can finally get the Opera House right. Common sense, no?
Sydneycynic -
Oh you are so incredibly right.
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The PM is right,we're all very proud of our magnificent Opera House,however I'd say tarting up the interior has a very low priority (the building is essentially a sculptural work )there are a thousand better uses for $600 million. Those who support the renovations can contribute their own money. It would probably be cheaper to build a new opera house on another site than attempt to correct the faults in the SOH.
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Sounds like alot of money doesn't it?
In the year 2006-2007 The federal govt. spent 250 million on sport, that is just one year. Multiply that over 10 years, over 20 years.
Maybe if they turned the concert hall into a squash court the cash would flood in or would it have to be an olympic sport to qualify for huge amounts.
Culture 'V' Sport....the ultimate showdown.
Please, please leave blues point towers alone. Its the blue poles of architecture, no one gets it but it does have value.
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Well surely the money would be coming from NSW taxes? In which case it's their decision to make, not Mr Rudd's.
Disregarding that issue, allowing the OH to acheive it's full potential would seem the right thing to do (and surely to would be self-funding in the long run anyway).
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Ah yes, it's true! just when you think you've become blasé about Sydney and its harbour out of the blue there will come a moment like Whitalmite experienced and you'll realise all over again just how beautiful the place really is.
Re: the point Scrap-the-Jack made about funding. Agreed, bagfuls of money are spent each year on sport in this country. So why not the Opera House? I'd luv to see a good share of it go to the arts and culture once in a while.
Treaclebeak please forgive me if I've misunderstood your comment, but I tend to disagree just a little that the Opera House is essentially a sculptural work in as much as: a sculpture may be beautifully rendered, give an impression of movement and space, and people may stand, sit, or even wander in and around it, and admire it but ultimately it's an object. What sets the Opera House apart from this? Here's just a quick scan of the current/upcoming program: The Mikado starring Anthony Warlow, The Taming of the Shrew, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Verdi Requiem, among many others. IMHO it is far from being just that because of people - the performers, the audience, the people involved in its administration, the visitors who flock to it etc ensure that inside it's very much alive. However I do concede of course that those involved would obviously move to the new venue if one was built.
I’m far from being an expert on these matters but if a new venue was built this then raises a tricky question - what would we then do with the Opera House? Whatever else may be, I believe it would be a very big mistake to leave it empty – it’ll became neglected for certain and in a very short space of time. It is my understanding, for example, that rundown and neglected theatres and venues are already a growing problem in Britain. Do we want to start down that same path? Do we just let it sit there and decline or would it be maintained to at least the current standard? Do we lease it out for other pursuits eg another convention centre, amateur theatre, recitals, a community art space? What are our obligations now it has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
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The OH deserves every bit of the proposed 600m spent on it to keep Sydney's (and Australia's)premier landmark in the best condition possible. In the 80s I ran through the bowels of the building tending bar at intervals for the various performances. Whenever I emerged from the cluttered corridors to the halls, I never ceased to be amazed by the exquisite light and magic that existed under those unique sails/waves/shells. It would be a national shame if the OH is let deteriorate further. Get on with the job - launch another OH lottery.
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Agree with 5 about the Blues Point Tower. Spectacular? It is just so DREARY. Looks like it should be on the South Bank of grey London, not the glittering shores of Sydney Harbour.
I think Sydney would be much improved by some well chosen demolition work (Cahil Expressway anyone?) rather than spending $300 million on backstage alterations to a venue that few of us use.
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shesaidthat,
perhaps I overstated my argument, the point I was trying to make was that the SOH doesn't appear to function efficiently as an opera house,most observers would see,and admire it, as a sculptural form and never "use" it.I have no technical knowledge,however, I suspect that,if taxpayers money is involved, it would be cheaper to build another opera house.
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Interesting blog, but the "new soccer stadium" in Melbourne that you mentioned is actually a multi purpose stadium for rugby league, soccer and possibly rugby union at some point. Please dont assume that becuase a stadium is rectangular it is only for soccer.
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Leave it exactly the way it is. Maintain it. Change nothing absolutely nothing. If the small number of opera goers want the Opera Theatre remodelled, let them pay for it. Hospitals, schools and other more important infrastructure should get money first. It's a beautiful building and if it has warts, well then that's part of the building; let's not turn it into another 21st century make over monstrosity. Leave it alone!
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Sydney owes it to the entire world to see that the last major public work of Jorn Utzon finally gets built the way he designed it. Since no-one will ever know what other masterpieces he could have made had sydney not destroyed his will to work, sydney owes it to everyone to make sure the last great thing he did do gets the treatment it deserves.
And everyone who posts saying "we dont use it" and "only opera people go there" and whatever else - it is these types of clowns who ruined it in the first place (in particular a parlimentary idiot who got sacked for lying about his university qualifications) - and its these people and those they voted for who owe it most. Remember - after the first "cost saving" insult, ie sacking Utzon, the costs duly spiralled by 1,500%.
As for Rudd... his position seems weird. In this day and age of stimulus spending and NSW Labor doing what NSW Labor does best... any chance to swing the spotlight away from D'bosca's groin/Nick Rees' spine towards any form of Labor success should be grabbed I'd think.
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The OZ house bubble will not burst until their is at least 1 more house available then there are people looking its not complicated supply and demand... unlike america , australia has not vastly over built with huge tracts of empty houses and apartment buildings.....
What will hapen is prices will stall or go down a little ( maybe 10% at the worse )....
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