SYMPHONY OF SOUND AND VISION.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

Dizzying in its asymmetric composition, the Walt Disney Concert Hall makes a bold statement about Los Angeles' aspirations as a world-class arts center and hopes for a revitalized downtown.

At 17 years in the making, the buildup to tonight's gala opening has been positively monolithic. But now that it's here, was it worth the wait?

A chorus of voices from all corners answer in the affirmative. What's not known, however, is whether the daring structure is destined to become a part of Los Angeles' pulsating lifeblood or merely another difficult-to- reach destination for tourists and culture hounds.

Along with world-class acoustics and a diverse inaugural season, the Music Center of Los Angeles' fourth venue, which stands alongside the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion a block north on Grand Avenue, does offer an uplifting respite from the morose appearance of much of downtown. Expansive public gardens with walkways, benches, cafe tables, shade trees and ornamental landscaping make up an urban park surrounding the hall.

Under the baton of some of the most gifted minds in design, tons of steel, glass, concrete and finely wrought wood have coalesced to reflect the grand ambitions and possibilities of the metropolis. Tonight, in the first of a trio of opening concerts featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the city's most well-heeled and -connected get their first glimpse.

It's certainly an unforgettable sight. If Disney Hall appears to have just dropped anchor at First Street and Grand Avenue, that's what it's supposed to look like. The exuberantly uneven steel exterior suggests a ceremonial barge or ship with sails at full mast. The structure's centerpiece, a 2,265-seat auditorium, home base for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale, designates a ship's hull. A curved wood ceiling evokes billowing sails, while anterooms and balcony-level atria capture the movement of a seafaring vessel.

Clearly, a building as multidimensional as Disney Hall wasn't meant for passive viewing. The concert venue has inspired nearly as many opinions as the hall has organ pipes. Here are some of those voices from politicians, pedestrians, musicians and others.

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

``People are going to think of Disney Hall in a global sense the way they do the Sydney Opera House. Once you see it, you have this vision in your mind that you'll always have. It's as beautiful inside as it is outside. I've seen school kids coming in, and young children are as enchanted by it as every other age group. When I look at it, I see symphonic waves - and the building is a symphony in itself.''

- Ginny Stevenson, Tarzana resident, who's been volunteering at L.A. Philharmonic events for eight months and will be working at tonight's opening gala.

``Los Angeles in many ways has been a divided city. People from the east side don't go to the west side ... people from the Valley don't go downtown. Now we can all unite in the center. ... (Disney Hall is) the crown jewel of Los Angeles, a triumph of architecture that has already become an international landmark, joining La Scala, the Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall.''

- Eli Broad, philanthropist and power broker.

``It's immediately the most interesting building in L.A. It will be the building people first think of when they discuss this city. It's our Chrysler Building. It's about possibilities, the future, and it's entirely appropriate that Los Angeles should have it.''

- Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, architecture professor, art critic, painter and co- author of ``Frank Gehry: The City and Music.''

``Everyone can now hear what the L.A. Phil is supposed to sound like.''

- Esa-Pekka Salonen, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

``It's my hope that this hall will act as the major catalyst in bringing us closer together - east side, west side, north and south. This is everyone's hall.''

- Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County supervisor.

``The new hall has little or no impact on the people on the street (at nearby Skid Row). It's a totally foreign concept to them as far as I can tell.''

- Clancy Imislund, managing director of the Midnight Mission.

``It grew from the inside out, from the acoustical shapes. I wanted the exterior and interior to share a common language. I wanted special relationships with the surrounding buildings, for the lobby to be accessible from the street. It's meant to perk you up when you gaze at it.''

- Frank Gehry, Disney Hall architect.

``Downtown audiences have gotten a bad rap for too long. They're supposed to be talkative and restless, but I find them just the opposite. I was shocked at New York audiences - we've interrupted some major, major conversations in the audience during performances there.''

- Grant Gershon, music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

``I was very, very impressed. There's a neat contrast between the hall and the surrounding buildings. Tourists from all over the world will be making an effort to see it.''

- Larry King, Sherman Oaks personal fitness instructor.

``The Chandler Pavilion (the symphony's former home) is really a barn. It's not a terrible hall, but it's just not appropriate for an orchestra. It's fine for musicals, ballet or opera, where you need the full stage. But you only need a third of that stage for a symphony.''

- Meredith Snow, L.A. Philharmonic violist.

``We're no longer La-La land.''

- Richard Riordan, former Los Angeles mayor (right, with Frank Gehry)

TICKET AND SCHEDULE INFO

For the complete schedule and to order tickets for Disney Hall events, call [phone] or visit 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 Disney Hall box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full-time students may be available at ticket windows two hours prior to performance.

Also, radio stations KZMT-FM (105.1) and KCRW-FM (89.9) are marking the opening of Disney Hall with a series of programs, including live broadcasts of the three inaugural galas, beginning at 7 tonight.

And beginning Nov. 1, visitors can take a self-guided walk through Disney Hall. These first-come, first-served tours will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., except matinee days and Thanksgiving Day, through Nov. 29.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) DISNEY HALL from all sides

Voices from around the city and a critic's view

(2 -- color) Richard Riordan, former Los Angeles mayor (right, with Frank Gehry)

Nick Ut/Associated Press

(3 -- color) no caption (the outside of Walt Disney Concert Hall)

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

(4 -- color) Frank Gehry

Disney Hall architect

Monica Almeida/The New York Times

Box:

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE INFO (see text)