HEAR HERE! DISNEY HALL'S INAUGURAL SEASON PROMISES TO BE A GREAT ONE.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

All eyes are on Bunker Hill with the unveiling of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. But when next month's glittery inaugural galas are over and the last flashbulb has popped, the venue will settle in for what promises to be an unusually provocative season.

It's a year full of intriguing events, taking in masterworks and contemporary repertoire by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, presentations in jazz, baroque and international music, and appearances by acclaimed soloists and major orchestras from abroad. Also during the symphony's 85th season are newly devised subscription series, like First Nights, that act as an introduction to masterworks such as Stravinsky's ``The Rite of Spring'' and Beethoven's Fifth by way of theatrics and music.

``You've got some of the best touring orchestras and a most interesting recital series to look forward to,'' observed Tim Page, the Pulitzer Prize-winning classical music critic for the Washington Post. ``The new hall will make Los Angeles even more attractive to artists that might ordinarily not leave the East Coast at all. Judging by the (Disney Hall) schedule, L.A. is certainly among the top 10 musical centers, if not the top five.''

The first folks to glimpse the inside of the steel-and-glass structure will be those who may not have easy access: schoolchildren, public employees, social service agencies and the hard-hat crews who built the joint. Next, the tuxedo-and-gown crowd enjoy a trio of expensive gala events. On Oct. 26, ordinary ticket-holders get their first chance to soak in the Douglas fir-lined curves and intimate feel of the auditorium when pianist Evgeny Kissin kicks off the recital series.

``A state of nerves,'' is how Deborah Borda, executive director of the L.A. Philharmonic, described the atmosphere at the first of nearly a dozen Philharmonic rehearsals at the new venue. ``But we knew within seconds we had a great-sounding hall. The level of buzz about this has been incredible.''

Disney Hall's ribbon cutting takes place at 10 a.m. Oct. 23, followed by that evening's opening gala, ``Sonic L.A.,'' a program designed to showcase the finely tuned acoustic properties of the metal-clad 2,265-seat arts palace. The Oct. 24 ``Living L.A.'' inaugural focuses on 20th- and 21st-century composers and includes Esa-Pekka Salonen, the L.A. Phil's music director and conductor, leading the orchestra in his ``L.A. Variations.'' (Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will also perform.) ``Soundstage L.A.,'' the final gala Oct. 25, is a tribute to Hollywood with film composer John Williams helming a new work. All three concerts are sold out.

``Those first three concerts give a very good idea of what's going to happen at the hall (throughout the debut season and beyond),'' said Joshua Kosman, classical music critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. ``Traditional works, contemporary composition, touches of international and jazz. And the Williams night is a wonderful tip of the hat to the Hollywood creative community. It's the sort of thing any orchestra needs to do - be cognizant of the community.''

As a result of the ensemble moving from its home of 30 years, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, to Disney Hall a block away, the symphony offers an increased schedule of programs, with 30 weeks of subscription concerts between Oct. 30 and June 13, 2004. Salonen conducts a total of 13 weeks during those 7 1/2 months.

``You've got (conductors) Franz Welser-Most and Christoph von Dohnanyi within two weeks of each other, and Pierre Boulez,'' Page said. ``That's a big deal.''

The Disney Hall debut season kicks off with a thematic festival centering on creation. Programs include the L.A. Phil and the Los Angeles Master Chorale in Mahler's ``Resurrection,'' Haydn's ``Creation'' and a Mozart piano concerto with pianist Emanuel Ax as soloist. Throughout the first month, the creation thread is also woven into a series of new-music concerts under the Green Umbrella banner.

Other promising dates in a busy first year include a Berlioz bicentennial honoring ``my favorite mad genius of music,'' as Salonen calls the imaginative composer born 200 years ago. Three weeks of all-Berlioz events, led by Salonen starting Jan. 16 and also taking in concerts in April and June, culminate in an evening of music and theater co-commissioned with Lincoln Center.

New this season is First Nights, a series of theatrical explorations of the premiere performances of great musical works, followed by a performance of the composition by the L.A. Phil. Borda said the concept was sparked by a book and college course taught by Harvard University musicologist Thomas Forrest Kelly.

``We want to locate that generation of adults in their 20s and 30s whose arts programs were cut out of their (high) schools,'' she said. ``We want to connect with these people and expand their knowledge in an intelligent and appealing way.''

The move to the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Hall allows the L.A. Phil not only to expand its schedule but its hours. A new series of five matinee concerts on Saturdays joins a grouping of six midday concerts on Fridays. Those wanting to experience the glass-laden venue in daylight might want to check out a matinee when the concert hall is flooded with natural light through skylights and windows.

Making its debut at Disney Hall is a jazz series that includes nights with pianist Keith Jarrett's trio and the Herbie Hancock Quartet with the L.A. Philharmonic. And if your favorite music is strings and things from around the globe, the world music series brings, among others, single-named fado singer Mariza to town.

Also arriving at Bunker Hill's most fashionable address this fall is the Berlin Philharmonic with conductor Sir Simon Rattle, and the recital series that also brings violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Alfred Brendel.

``It's an impressive season,'' Page said. ``It would be the envy of most cities in the country.''

Our fall concert, stage and arts preview includes dates through Nov. 23. Because there are thousands of events taking place in Southern California during the next few months, we are unable to run items on all of them. We will run a holiday preview in November.

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

For the complete schedule and to order tickets for Disney Hall events, call [phone] or access laphil.com. You can also order by fax at [phone] or by mail by writing Los Angeles Philharmonic, 151 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012-3034. Tickets can be purchased at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion box office until the Disney Hall box office opens Oct. 7. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at the Disney Hall box office two hours prior to performance.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) The entrance to Disney Hall features the building's name stenciled onto the rolling steel walls designed by architect Frantk O. Gehry.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(2 -- cover -- color) Jerry Hall in ``The Graduate'' Wilshire Theater Oct. 8-26

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(3 -- cover -- color) Learning to Look: Line Norton Simon Museum Nov. 7 through Feb. 23

(4 -- cover -- color) James Taylor - Greek, Oct. 7, 8; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Oct. 10; Santa Barbara Bowl, Oct. 13; Universal Amphitheatre, Oct. 14

(5) The bare stage of Walt Disney Concert Hall will hold musicians soon enough. Three gala performances, the first taking place Oct. 23, are planned to celebrate the hall's opening.

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)