ASSEMBLE THE MUSICIANS WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL PREPARES TO SET SAIL WITH L.A. PHIL'S 2003-04 SEASON.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

THE WALT DISNEY Concert Hall will throw open its doors next October to kids and the downtown community in a series of free Los Angeles Philharmonic concerts before the gala events begin.

The highly anticipated inaugural season of the striking Frank Gehry-designed venue kicks off Oct. 23 with programs showcasing specially commissioned works, star instrumentalists and a tribute to screen music.

Highlights of the 2003-04 schedule include nine world premieres with various guest conductors; visits from the Berlin and New York philharmonics; and adventurous jazz, international and Baroque programs.

``This will be a gathering place for the musical citizens of the world,'' said Deborah Borda, the L.A. Phil's executive director, in a presentation Thursday. ``Our message is access and inspiration.''

The impressive concert hall takes up a full city block at Grand Avenue and First Street in the historic Bunker Hill area downtown. The $274 million project - seeded in 1987 by a $50 million gift from Walt Disney's widow, Lillian - becomes the new home of the L.A. Philharmonic, which spent almost 40 years at the nearby Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Gehry's curved, steely exterior was partially based on the look of sails in the wind. It complements the city's fast-developing cultural and architectural landscape, which now includes the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels just a few blocks away.

Gehry, who worked closely with L.A. Phil music director Esa-Pekka Salonen on design elements of Disney Hall, enthused about the acoustics in the 2,265-seat main room.

``You can feel the sound,'' he said. ``I go in there and feel Haydn.''

Setting the tone for the orchestra's oft-expressed desire to reach the concert-goers of tomorrow, the new hall will open with ``Phil the House,'' a week of previews for schoolchildren, educators, community members and county employees, plus construction workers and others close to the project.

``You can't buy a ticket,'' Borda said. ``It's our way of saying, 'This is yours, join us.' Education is a growing priority.''

After preview week, the venue opens Oct. 23 with three consecutive gala concerts created to demonstrate the range of the city's orchestra.

``Sonic L.A.'' is a multipart program of pieces for solo instruments and orchestra; ``Living L.A.'' spotlights 20th- and 21st-century works, including the premiere of a commissioned John Adams piece and a performance by star soloist Yo-Yo Ma; and ``Soundstage L.A.'' pays tribute to symphonic film music with a world premiere by composer/conductor John Williams, who shares the podium with Salonen for the evening.

On Oct. 30, 30 weeks of subscription concerts begin and they include several festivals, themes and projects, opening with a festival focusing on themes of creation, invention and renewal. As part of the concept, the Philharmonic commissioned works by, among others, Adams, Tan Dun, Steven Stucky and Williams.

Next on the schedule is a festival of Berlioz, whose bicentennial falls during the season. Mezzo soprano Anne Sofie von Otter appears in three concerts starting Jan. 16, 2004, followed by a series of all-Berlioz programs led by Salonen.

``He's my favorite mad genius of music - a restless soul whose mind had no boundaries,'' Salonen said. ``And L.A. Phil is the perfect venue for his music.''

Jazz, too, makes its debut at Disney Hall in four concerts and other events programmed by vocalist Dianne Reeves. Working in an acoustic setting, headliners will include pianist Keith Jarrett's trio, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and pianist Herbie Hancock on Gershwin.

Also, Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, backed by the Philharmonic, will inaugurate the world music program Nov. 18. The series will also include Indian percussionist Zakir Hussain and Portuguese blues singer Mariza and the L.A. Phil.

The wide range of approaches to Baroque music will be heard in the ``Baroque Variations'' series starting Oct. 28 with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, followed by the Venice Baroque Orchestra and Boston Baroque.

The 2003-04 Disney Hall season will also see the return of three Los Angeles-born conductors to the local podium - Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson and Leonard Slatkin. Salonen will also unveil ``Wing on Wing,'' his new work inspired by the sailboat look of the new performance space.

Music lovers can also look forward to appearances next year by star conductors such as Pierre Boulez and Valery Gergiev, and collaborations between L.A. Phil and CalArts and the Getty Research Institute.

Along with the main auditorium and administrative offices, the new hall encompasses two outdoor amphitheaters and a park.

The goal in setting up the first year's series, Borda explained, was to create programs worthy of the venue.

``Every seat in the house is a great seat,'' she said. ``I think you'll see how true that is.''

For the complete Disney Hall schedule, visit laphil.com.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) The Walt Disney Concert Hall, new home of the L.A. Philharmonic, opens next year with previews for children.

(2) The hall features the signature design elements of architect Frank Gehry.

(3) L.A. Phil music director Esa-Pekka Salonen raves about the acoustics of the new building.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer