Utzon and the Sydney Opera House: Penguin Special

by Daryl Dellora

Jørn Utzon designed the Sydney Opera House so that every element would be in harmony. But its construction, while it began in just that way, ended in complete discord. The visionary state government that commissioned the project was replaced by one that did not appreciate it and stopped funding it. Utzon was forced out. The interiors he planned went unbuilt and rumours were spread about his departure. In this incisive essay, to celebrate the Opera House's fortieth anniversary, Daryl Dellora draws on his own past interview with Utzon to pull those rumours apart. Along with the architect's original intentions, he reveals how misguided was the attempt to thwart one of the modern world's architectural masterpieces.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

36 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 23, 2013

Reviews

[Saji Maruthurkkara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utzon and the Sydney Opera House by Daryl Dellora
Rating 3
(1=Bad, 2=Ok won’t recommend, 3=OK time pass, 4=Good, 5=Very good don’t miss)
Where to buy: Kindle

I was always in awe of the opera house and never missed a chance to see it. I picked up this book to learn more about its design and designer. Although the book doesn’t go into either in any great detail, it does bring out some unknown (to me) facts about it, the politics behind and also the building it could have become. Interesting (quick) read for anyone interested in knowing more about this masterpiece.

[Oka Kartika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as a souvenir when I visited the Sydney Opera House, but it also offers a brief backstory on how the building was constructed. As an architecture graduate myself, I believe every building holds millions or more of untold stories, and books like this always excite me for what they reveal about the design and technologies, as well as the people behind it. And through this book also, Australia lost not only a great architect, but also a remarkable man, along with the potential for his work to spread across the country, rather than being defined by just one building.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting, and good at giving a lot of unknown context to Utzons side of the story, but it is so incredibly biased. As someone who doesn’t know too much about the story, no matter how factually correct it was Dellora clearly loooovessss Utzon which casts a bit of doubt on the way he writes because his bias is so clear. It is although sort of the point of the book, so it was interesting but gurl Dellora rides Utzon so hard it’s a little funny at times

[Cameron O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first stumbled on the troubled story of the Sydney Opera House in The Monthly magazine ("This is not an opera house" by Darryn King, October 2017) and have been fascinated ever since. I found Dellora's short piece quite interesting too and enjoyed hearing more from Utzon's perspective.

[Emily D’Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting explanation and history behind the opera house! It absolutely fascinating to see how such a well known icon was so incredibly complicated to build.

My first non-fiction read but definitely not my last!

[Risha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be a dream to see the opera house just as Utzon had fully envisioned. I was gonna give a massive eff yew to Askin for getting in the way of it, but the old liberal premier died with a sad legacy of opposing the opera house, corruption and supporting the Vietnam war.

[Nora Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utzon designed a unique and beautiful building only to have his ideas mangled by politics.

[Brie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic read which explores the making of the Opera House and the outstanding and inspiring attitude that Jørn Utzon has throughout the process.

[kels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insight into the politics at the time, but the account is biased.

[Alanya J. Stuckey]

Apparently they’re called shells and not sails and I’ve been talking about the opera house wrong for my entire life 🥲

[ej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly extremely biased and doesn’t explain much in depth (a journalist wrote it), but it’s short and still a great read.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book from the Sydney Opera House gift shop after visiting for a concert performance and tour. It truly is a breathtaking venue. I already knew about Utzon and how the Australian government had treated him so I wanted to give this book a read. It's such an infuriating story. To visit the Opera House and know that it could have been even more spectacular than it already is...How disappointing that such a beautiful landmark that is the Opera House, is not actually so good for housing operas!

The book itself is easy to read and uses excerpts from the author's interview with Utzon himself. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the construction of the Opera House, and the devastating decision to remove the visionary architect from his own project.

[Michael Percy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this essay in the foyer of the Sydney Opera House while waiting to go in to see My Fair Lady. The theatre was great but the book made me angry. The way Utzon was treated by a conservative NSW government was very similar to the way Walter Burley Griffin was treated with his grand design for Canberra. These outstanding architects were basically bullied so the respective governments could take over the original plan and make a mess of it. The cheap approach ended up costing more and was less functional in both instances. I noticed the poor acoustics in the Joan Sutherland Theatre and wondered why the opera is not in the concert hall. Now I know.