Walt Disney Concert Hall

Went to a concert at the WDCH last night – the sound was truly unbelievable. The concert was Beethoven’s 2nd (3 movements) and John Adam’s Naive and Sentimental Music conducted by Essa-Pekka Salonen.
I own cd versions of both symphonies but liken the WDCH experience to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. You know how it is – you’ve seen all the post cards and the posters but when you actually step up to the edge of that cliff the hugeness and significance of such a piece of earth takes your breath away. In a similar way I couldn’t get over the magnificence of the acoustics and sound. When the orchestra is playing piano you can still hear every single note from every single instrument, yet they are not separate pieces. it all comes together in a beautiful flow of music that swirls around your head with a softness and delicate touch that is not at all distant. Then the power and reverb you feel inside as the orchestra transitions into forte is simply stunning.
Maybe I am going overboard, but I was blown away by the whole experience. I can only imagine how rewarding it must be for you musicians who have posted about playing here. As for me, I can’t believe that I’ve been missing out on so much – now I can’t wait to buy season tickets!

I would pay just to sit inside the Disney concert hall, it is so beautiful. And of course I’m lucky because when I go, they also have music—which sounds absolutely amazing. The acoustics are so good, you can even hear people cough all around the place :) Also, it’d be a great place for hide-and-go-seek.

my high school choir performed at the opening of walt disney music hall. VERY astounding accoustics!

But I think that counts still, I saw the architecture of the building. I’m not too interested in seeing the interior. I can imagine that no one I’m interested performs there.

I performed here in February for the ACDA convention. Acoustics are perfect. Any seat on the floor sounds like the room was designed for that seat. Very odd to have people sitting behind the stage, but all in all, one of the most fulfilling performance experiences of my life.

extremely fulfilling!!!!

... to some extent, literally. While the signage is good and I never get lost, I cannot ever use my sense of direction reliably in this building. There are no straight lines—NONE —and it is utterly beautiful, but I always feel like a tape should be playing as I walk in the doors, “You are now entering the Music Dimension.”

I agree with Robio about the balcony seats, with one caveat. If they are all you can afford for a given concert, you will still hear quite nicely. There are no bad seats from an acoustic point of view. The thing about the balconies is that they are very high and feel very cramped, and if they are “left” and “right” something you will be in a row not unlike an Anasazi cliff-dwelling.

One of these days I’d like to take the tour of the building itself. It’s an architectural marvel. But just sitting in those seats, even the nosebleed ones, the music is astonishing. The pipe organ is one of the most fabulous sights in Los Angeles (even from the cheap seats.)

Go.

I love everything about Disney Hall—except the balcony seats. If you go, spring for better seats. Trust me on this.