The graceful curves of Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles are familiar to anyone interested in contemporary architecture or the work of this great master. They are also famous, if not infamous, to the ironworkers faced with the challenge of building them. With a building skin stretched tight and tolerances shaved to a thousandth of an inch, there was simply no room for typical industry standards. A new breed of ironworker was required, one who relies on modern tools like lasers, yet whose muscular forms wielding hammers hundreds of feet above the ground testify still to the great unchanging tradition of their trade. Photographer Gil Garcetti had unparalleled free access to the construction site. The personal relationships he developed with the workers over the course of many months and his admiration for their artistry are evident in these moving portraits. Garcetti's evocative images, reproduced in rich duotones, bring to life the romantic ideal of the heavy industry.

This visually stunning and data rich text catalogs the design of 32 concert halls by world-renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota and his team at Nagata Acoustics, the firm behind the celebrated Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and numerous others. Alongside architectural drawings and photographs, commentary on the design process and challenges of each hall provides insight for the dedicated listener to appreciate a wide range of internationally beloved concert venues. Summarized acoustical and architectural data for each of the halls will provide valuable reference information to architects and acousticians alike. Following the project anthology is an overview of the history, development, and acoustical features of vineyard- and surround-style concert halls. A broader discussion of design philosophy reveals the methods by which Toyota has guided architects to create world renowned halls. These technical and general discussions give architects the foundation to design for the performing arts, and provide audiences a new insight and perspective to consider the next time they attend a concert.

The official book on architect Frank Gehry's spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

"Through interviews with key figures, including tonal designer Manuel J. Rosales and organ builder Caspar von Glatter-Gotz, you will discover the elegant engineering of this instrument and the challenges in its construction. This book also pays tribute to the musicians who have created both the sublimely soft and booming tones in one of the world's best concert halls."--BOOK JACKET.

Here, from Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Paul Goldberger, is the first full-fledged critical biography of Frank Gehry, undoubtedly the most famous architect of our time. Goldberger follows Gehry from his humble origins—the son of working-class Jewish immigrants in Toronto—to the heights of his extraordinary career. He explores Gehry’s relationship to Los Angeles, a city that welcomed outsider artists and profoundly shaped him in his formative years. He surveys the full range of his work, from the Bilbao Guggenheim to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. to the architect’s own home in Santa Monica, which galvanized his neighbors and astonished the world. He analyzes his carefully crafted persona, in which an amiable surface masks a driving ambition. And he discusses his use of technology, not just to change the way a building looks, but to revolutionize the very practice of the field. Comprehensive and incisive, Building Art is a sweeping view of a singular artist—and an essential story of architecture’s modern era.

There′s dreadful news from the symphony hall-the composer is dead! If you have ever heard an orchestra play, then you know that musicians are most certainly guilty of something. Where exactly were the violins on the night in question? Did anyone see the harp? Is the trumpet protesting a bit too boisterously? In this perplexing murder mystery, everyone seems to have a motive, everyone has an alibi, and nearly everyone is a musical instrument. But the composer is still dead. Perhaps you can solve the crime yourself. Join the Inspector as he interrogates all the unusual suspects. Then listen to the accompanying audio recording featuring Lemony Snicket and the music of Nathaniel Stookey performed by the San Francisco Symphony. Hear for yourself exactly what took place on that fateful, well-orchestrated evening.