Disney Hall as 'elite bauble'

The cover story in this week's L.A. Alternative Press by Joseph Mailander follows up on his first night report at Joyrides Without Maps with more refined impressions of Disney Hall and its importance.

Ultimately, what rankles most about L.A.'s self-appointed icon is how far the building has taken Los Angeles away from the idea of music serving the civic purpose of forging a shiny happy city holding multicultural hands. What began as a "living room for the city" has become the city's costliest, most precious, most elite bauble. As civic architecture, the building could not possibly be a more elitist gesture - and, predictably, the price tiers for the new season, $120, $88, $68, $35, are out of the range of many Angelenos.

The New York Observer also weighs in (thanks for the tip to Tim at The Simon). Also Donna Perlmutter in CityBeat.