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| | The Genesis of the Sydney Opera House
Eugene Goossens
In 1946, when Eugene Goossens arrived in Australia as guest conductor of the Sydney Symphony he was surprised to find that the orchestra was performing in the Sydney Town Hall and that no concert hall as such existed in Sydney. He also found there were no theatres large enough to stage even medium sized operas15. Charles Moses, General Manager of the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) offered Goossens the position of resident conductor of the orchestra and Director of the Conservatorium.
When Goossens arrived back in Sydney in July 1947 to take up the posts, he told reporters that his "ambitions include a fine concert hall for the orchestra ... a home for an opera company, and a smaller hall for chamber music" Sydney Morning Herald.
The idea of an opera house for Sydney had been thought of before. Building an opera house or 'National Theatre' was on the agenda of the Labour Government as part of a post-war construction program, though nothing had been done about it.
Goossens heard about the proposal and Dr. K. Langer, the consultant planner of the Cumberland County Council, had suggested the idea of Bennelong Point to him.
"Mr. Eugene Goossens ... said yesterday that he agreed with a plan to build Sydney's opera house on the site of the present tram sheds at Fort Macquarie" Sydney Morning Herald.
Nothing happened. Goossens said of the opera house in 1954 "purely my dream child - nothing more". But Goossens continued to talk in the press about the proposal till Charles Moses, concerned that Goossens was embarrassing the Government by his press statements, suggested that they meet with the Premier. Goossens agreed and the meeting was arranged.
John Joseph Cahill
The Premier John Joseph Cahill showed a real interest in the proposal and by the end of the meeting was convinced. In November 1954 Cahill convened a public meeting to appoint a committee to advise the Government on building an opera house.
The committee consisted of Eugene Goossens, Charles Moses, Harry Ashworth (professor of architecture at Sydney University), Roy Hendy (Sydney City Council town clerk) and Stan Haviland (the head of the Department of Local Government). 31 sites were examined and Bennelong Point was chosen. The committee also recommended a competition.
The Sydney Opera House Competition
In January 1956 the Government announced an international competition for the design of a "National Opera House" to be erected on Bennelong Point.
A booklet was prepared giving a site plan and the conditions of the competition. Appendix 5 set out two mandatory requirements for the building:
"1. There shall be two halls - one large and one small hall. The large hall should seat between 3,000-3,500 persons. The small hall should seat approximately 1,200 persons.
The large hall to be designed for use for the following purposes: -
(a) Symphony Concerts (including organ music and soloists).
(b) Large-scale Opera.
(c) Ballet and Dance.
(d) Choral.
(e) Pageants and Mass Meetings.
2. The small hall to be designed for use for the following purposes:
(a) Dramatic Presentations.
(b) Intimate Opera.
(c) Chamber Music.
(d) Concerts and Recitals.
(e) Lectures.
The requirements under 1 and 2 above, have been listed in order of priority with respect to the attention which should be given to their specialised building needs.
It is expected that ideal conditions will be provided as far as possible acoustically, visually and in connection with stage and orchestral facilities. Compromises which will prejudice the entirely satisfactory performance of a function with a higher priority in the above list should not be made".
No limit was imposed as to cost. The competitors were: "... allowed to use their discretion in submitting a design of the character and dignity associated with this type of building. At the same time they should bear in mind the necessity for sound judgement as to the financial implications".
The competition opened on February 15 1956 and closed in December 1956. The site and the open nature of the brief attracted 233 entries from all over the world.
A young Danish architect, J๘rn Utzon "saw the competition advertised in a Swedish architectural magazine, registered for it and sent in a ฃ10 deposit for a set of conditions"16.
On April 11 1956 Goossens, as a result of a scandal over customs regulation charges resigned all official positions and left the country. There has been speculation that he was set up.
Judging of the competition took place in January 1957. The judges were Harry Ashworth, John Leslie Martin (professor of architecture at Cambridge), Cobden Parkes (the NSW government architect) and Eero Saarinen (a renowned Finnish architect from Michigan, USA).
On 29 January 1957 J๘rn Utzon was declared winner of the competition.
The judges stated: "The drawings are simple to the point of being diagrammatic. Never-the-less we have returned again and again to the study of these drawings, we are convinced that they present a concept of an Opera House which is capable of being one of the great buildings of the world."
| โดย: เบน (เจ้าบ้าน  ) [8 เม.ย. 49 10:45] ( IP A:61.19.220.3 X: ) |  |       | | |
ความคิดเห็นที่ 10
| | โดย: เบน [11 เม.ย. 49] ( IP A:61.19.220.3 X: ) | |
ความคิดเห็นที่ 11
Hi""p' Ben
มาเที่ยวซิดนีย์ไม่เจอโป๊ะเหรอค่ะ นู๋ไปแถว opera houseเกือบทุกวัน วันหลังถ้ามาแวะทักทายกันบ้างนะค่ะ | | โดย: เชะ-โด๊ะ [11 เม.ย. 49 22:15] ( IP A:210.56.72.151 X: ) | |
ความคิดเห็นที่ 12
ไม่เจอโป๊ะ แต่เจอโป๊ะเรืออะจิ
| | โดย: p\' Ben [18 เม.ย. 49 9:32] ( IP A:61.19.220.5 X: ) | |
ความคิดเห็นที่ 13
ได้ที่เดียวกันเลยนะเว้ย
ที่ที่กูไปช่วงกันยา หนาวเหมือนกันนะ
| | โดย: sant@coz [19 ก.พ. 50 21:09] ( IP A:58.10.64.79 X: ) | |
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