Landmark: bowled over

Sunset, July, 2004 by Matthew Jaffe

The Hollywood Bowl has long been the most civilized spot in Los Angeles, a place for picnic dinners and music where the city meets the hills. It is where Sergei Rachmaninoff made his last public appearance and where the Beatles played perhaps their most famous show. Situated to take advantage of the canyon's outstanding natural acoustics, the Bowl's 1929 band shell, ironically, has never had particularly good sound. This summer an improved band shell will debut. The new design preserves the previous shell's moderne look and features a 30 percent larger stage area. Now the entire orchestra will be able to fit under the shell, thus improving the musicians' ability to hear each other, although their views of the summer night will never be the same. 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles; www.hollywoodbowl.com or 323/850-2000.

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