Disney concert hall finally opens

The concert hall was seen at the US city's chance to increase its cultural profile away from just movie-making. "This will have a huge impact on the perception of Los Angeles as a cultural environment," said Philharmonic conductor and music director Esa-Pekka Salonen.

The idea for a dedicated concert hall in LA was put forward by Walt Disney's late widow Lillian, who initially donated $50m (£29.5m) to the project because of her husband's love of classical music. Gehry, whose noted designs includes the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, said he took Lillian's love of flowers as his inspiration for the building.

"I showed her a bowl of white roses and I said, 'I'm going to make a flower for you," he said. "And she didn't quite get it. She thought I was putting her on. But I think, as you drive around the city, it's kind of a flower. I hope it is, for her." The hall has floral carpets and a fountain made of Delft china in the shape of a rose in her honour.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic was previously resident at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion but the acoustics there meant much of the sound was swallowed, forcing musicians to play more loudly.

"In the new hall, a normal Los Angeles music lover will have the first opportunity to hear what the orchestra really sounds like, and I think they will be pretty astonished," said conductor Mr Salonen. The opening concert had been put together to showcase what the concert hall acoustics have to offer, from solo recitals to the full symphony orchestra.

At a dedication ceremony on Monday, Mayor Richard Riordan said: "Los Angeles has been a great cultural centre."We're no longer La-La Land, right?"