Does anyone know if Jørn Utzon's original interior designs were drastically different to those currently in place? Were there any concrete interior designs that he had put forward or was it a work in motion? I've been trying to find some examples of what the interior could have looked like had the NSW government at the time not been so nasty about the whole affair that led to Utzon having to unfortunately resign and never to see his masterpiece again, but I can't find any of the designs.

I ask this because one of the main points that people, including I, seem to notice is that Opera House is stunning on the outside but somewhat less stunning on the inside. I wonder if this is simply because the interior was not developed with any of Utzon's ideas in mind..

I would love to see some of the original designs.

Try this site:

http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/ROC/QUA01.htm

It has a bit of a pic of the working model by Utzøn at the end.
There are several books from the time which should be available in the NSW Public Library and/or the Mitchell Library in Sydney. Try authors such as J.M.Freeland and Philip Drew.

Google Sydney Opera House architecture and see what you come up with.

You are correct, ie, I totally agree with you!, in your judgement of the difference between Utzøn's design for the interiors and what we got as designed by Hall, Todd & Littlemore. They weren't bad architects but they were not any where near being in the same league as Utzøn. What we got from them is a bit 1960s Leagues Club Chic. I don't think they could understand Utzøn's incomplete ideas and scrapped them; there may have been some professional jealousy/ego involved as well as vicious encouragement from the cultural cretins in the Coalition government.
Cf the reaction of some local architects to Rogers Stirk Harbour's designs for Barangaroo!

I borrowed a book from the local library last week which has lots of pictures relating to Utzons design plus the other entrants in the design competition which I will scan over the next few weeks.

The book is titled - Building a masterpiece: the Sydney Opera House (2006).

Surprising to read that alot of the sketches were not done by the architects themselves.

There's a model of the original design in the Sydney museum at the Governor Philip Tower. Go see it in person, but pictures of it on this link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/plindberg/sets/72332/
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/2892793_3f11ded27a_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/1/3091219_f0173089b0_b.jpg
http://www.lewism.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/opera-house-by-saarinen.jpg
http://www.lewism.org/2009/05/15/j%C3%B8rn-utzon-lecture-report/

The story goes, that they couldn't figure out how to build it to look exactly like the original concept. So they modified the design to something that could more easily be built from concrete. It was originally meant to have more curves and be more organic.
I can't help you with the interior though. But considering how much of a group effort the final design was... It wouldn't surprise me at all if the interior wasn't based on Utzon's designs.

Note that last sketch (in Mornnb's post above) entered by Utzøn is directed to the premier of NSW and signed by Eero Saarinen, the internationally regarded mid C.20th architect who was the judge who grabbed up Utzøn's sketch and refused to consider any other entry. For which I am eternally grateful!!!
The shells were too flat to be constructed using the technology of that time, and maybe now as well, but curved, arched, parabolic vaults in concrete were 'cutting edge' during the 1940s and '50s especially in the work of Candela, Torroja and Niemeyer (see Brasília et al). Influenced Utzøn & Seidler, among others.

It looks flatter... and even more impressive. Is it also a little larger?

Not larger - it's the lower height that makes it look longer, I guess.
The 'flatness' of the the vaults is the problem: they are too flat to be self-supporting which is why they are now arched higher.

Note that last sketch (in Mornnb's post above) entered by Utzøn is directed to the premier of NSW and signed by Eero Saarinen, the internationally regarded mid C.20th architect who was the judge who grabbed up Utzøn's sketch and refused to consider any other entry. For which I am eternally grateful!!!

When I think of Saarinen, I think of another Saarinen by the name of Eliel Saarinen who I believe came second in the international competition for the design of Canberra. His regret was that he had found out too late about the competition and so only had a few weeks time to plan it all out, but had he had enough time, it would have been interesting to see what proposal he would have put forward and whether it could have nudged the top spot away from Walter Burley Griffin. His design is available online somewhere!

Check out the entries that came second and third:

http://berkshirereview.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/SMH-300157_ed.jpg

Imagine this being in its place....

http://berkshirereview.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/JMLmarzella.jpg

Somehow I think not.. Haha.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_trLeQaJFWqE/STXMj1xMO6I/AAAAAAAAC54/VpIsKvlhd3k/s400/possible+opera+house.jpg

Eliel was Eero's father.

We certainly scored with the Utzøn!!! Near miss on that one and much thanks to Eero Saarinen - phew!

Love the "cheapest to build" quote in hindsight

At the time politicians and reporters apparently grabbed construction costs out of thin air without substantiation or investigation; so nothing's changed in 50+ years. Nobody bothered to ask Utzøn or Arup (engineer) at the time.

i feel sorry for that boy who drowned
:(

I wonder if he did a belly flop...