April opening for Norway's new opera house

By Aasa Christine Stoltz

OSLO (Reuters) - After a spirited debate over yellowing marble and mounting costs, Norway is almost ready to open the Oslo opera house, a new cultural landmark whose clean, simple lines have transformed the city skyline.

Architectural and opera buffs are hailing it as one of the biggest and most important new buildings in Norway since the Nidarosdomen cathedral in Trondheim was completed around 1300.

The opera is preparing for opening night on April 12, when 1,300 guests will be treated to scenes from a variety of operas. Opera chief Bjoern Simensen said it would be Norway's "biggest social event since the Lillehammer Olympic Games in 1994."

He also promised a magnificent acoustic experience. "There was not a dry eye in the room when we had our first acoustic test," Simensen told foreign journalists on a tour on Thursday.

During construction, a heated debate sprang up when the white marble, the main material both inside and out, started turning yellow, to the despair of politicians and the public.

Many said Norwegian granite would have been better because of the cold climate, pollution from a motorway beside the building and the waterfront location.

"We are in control of this. In April, it will all be gone," said Simensen, speaking against a backdrop of builders at work and singers and ballet dancers in rehearsal.

Simon Ewings of the architecture firm Snoehetta also called it a temporary problem.