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THE HOME<br />
MUSIC TO<br />
YOUR EYES<br />
Concert halls and opera houses as wondrous on the eyes as they<br />
are on the ears<br />
TEXT BY MUNA NOOR<br />
A<br />
date with a symphony orchestra or<br />
an operatic tenor has always been<br />
an occasion. But a recent crop <strong>of</strong><br />
concert halls and opera houses designed<br />
by star architects has elevated the<br />
experience to one that is multi-sensual.<br />
<strong>Mar</strong>rying fabulous form with perfect<br />
function, these astounding structures<br />
are not mere works <strong>of</strong> beauty, but<br />
engineering feats. Here acoustic design<br />
is the unseen, unbilled performer<br />
equally deserving <strong>of</strong> a rapturous<br />
applause. We survey six performance<br />
halls, some modern others classic, that<br />
simultaneously enthral one’s sense <strong>of</strong><br />
sight and sound.<br />
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, LOS ANGELES<br />
As part <strong>of</strong> a number <strong>of</strong> initiatives undertaken to revitalise Downtown Los Angeles, there<br />
was little doubt that Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall would have the capacity to<br />
transform particularly given the magical spell his Guggenheim Museum cast in Bilbao.<br />
A mere stroll from City Hall and Grand Central <strong>Mar</strong>ket, its shimmering metal curves<br />
and crisp silver folds are an undeniable attention grabber particularly against the glass<br />
towers and rectangular brownstone buildings typical <strong>of</strong> the area. As a result, Walt Disney<br />
Concert Hall has already secured countless cameos in a number <strong>of</strong> films and TV shows<br />
since it was unveiled in 2003.<br />
The building, which is home to the LA Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master<br />
Chorale was a gift to the city partially funded by Lilian Disney, widow to Walt, and later<br />
when project costs escalated by the Disney family and Walt Disney Company.<br />
Standing in stark contrast to its exterior, its Concert Hall, designed in a shoebox and<br />
arena arrangement by Japan’s Nagata Acoustics, utilises hardwoods like Douglas Fir and<br />
Oak. The Walt Disney Concert Hall also has fans in the city’s Transportation Authority.<br />
Noise suppression measures were utilised during the construction <strong>of</strong> the Metro which<br />
runs under the auditorium. Now that deserves an encore!<br />
TM | MARCH/APRIL <strong>2018</strong><br />
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