Critic’s Notebook: Frank Gehry went to Berlin to celebrate his 90th birthday. The reason: Music, music, music

Music Critic When Frank Gehry turned 80, Los Angeles threw a celebration worthy of one of the region’s most illustrious residents, to say nothing of the world’s most celebrated living architect. The occasion was meant to give thanks for the gift Gehry had given Berlin, even though the city didn’t think it wanted or needed such a gift before the hall opened two years ago. In remarks to the audience at the end of the program, the conductor and pianist said that at the Pierre Boulez Saal, there is “a special feeling that is different from every other hall in the world.” Given the grand scale of many of Gehry’s projects, Barenboim’s claim for his modest hall was seemingly absurd. Yet Gehry spent a good deal of the last decade complaining that despite Disney’s great acclaim, no one wanted a major concert hall from him, and that’s what he most wanted to build.