Strong winds fluttered flags and pulled decorations on the roof, but failed to overshadow the ceremony. On October 20, 1973, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Sydney Opera House in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, Australian politicians and thousands of spectators gathered around the harbor.
Tens of thousands of balloons rose above the building, sirens sounded from ships and boats in the bay, and in the evening the sky was lit up with fireworks. Footage of the event was broadcast on television in Australia and around the world. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia describes the day as a massive national celebration, watched by millions of viewers.
14 years of construction and a huge price increase
The opera house was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, whose design was selected after an international competition. Construction began on 2 March 1959, and the original bill was A$7 million. By the time it was completed in 1973, the cost had reached A$102 million – a sum many times higher than the original budget.
The work was marked by complex engineering decisions, political disputes and changes in deadlines. Utzon left the project in 1966, and the completion was taken over by an Australian architectural team led by Peter Hall. Utzon himself did not attend the official opening.
Before the royal ceremony
The building began to receive an audience even before the official opening. On September 28, 1973, the opera house staged “War and Peace“ by Sergei Prokofiev - the first public opera production in the new complex. The first official concert was related to Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the program of the celebrations also included “The Magic Flute“ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
In her speech, Elizabeth II acknowledged the difficulties surrounding the project but emphasized its importance:
„The Sydney Opera House has captured the imagination of the world, although, as I understand, its construction was not without its problems.“The Queen added that „the human spirit must sometimes spread its wings or sails and create something that is not merely practical or ordinary“.
Today, the Sydney Opera House is among the most recognizable buildings in the world. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007, and its opening remains the moment when a controversial and overly expensive building finally became a national symbol of Australia.
Sources: abc.net.au, theguardian.com, apnews.com