Looming over the stage like giant flower stems twisting in the wind, the wood blond pipes of the Disney Hall organ are a breathtaking centerpiece to a startling venue. While architect Frank Gehry's hall has been open since October of last year, his dramatic and unorthodox organ was not ready until this fall.
A collaboration between Gehry and organ builder Manuel Rosales, the organ has 6,134 pipes ranging in size from pencil cylinders to tree trunks. The design has been compared to pickup sticks or super-sized French fries.
In this edition of Performance Today, the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen and organist Todd Wilson perform Symphony No. 3, the "Organ Symphony" by Camille Saint-Saens.
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