Bowl imagery

Mark Swed’s review of the opening of the “new” Hollywood Bowl appears to have been written by someone who had already decided to hate the place no matter what the realities are (“Sonically, a Shell of Its Former Self,” June 28). Is the new shell bigger? Yes. “Super size”? Hardly. The new shell retains the classic Bowl look while giving the performers room to actually breathe in, which, by the way, wasn’t that healthy in the previous asbestos-filled shell.

I can’t speak for the sound, except to say that many talented people worked hard to get things ready for the opening, and they continue to work hard to make every show sound as perfect as possible.

But as the “image magnification director,” I can speak for the pictures. Had Swed been to a previous “Hall of Fame” show, he would have known that the projection has been a standard part of the program for the last five years. It’s not meant for people who miss television at concerts, and no, you don’t just see what I want you to see. The stage is just as visible as it always was (perhaps more so with the larger opening).

We are only trying to give the audience a view that they can’t normally get. John Mauceri was emoting on screen because great conductors tend to emote, and he was on screen because the audience never gets to see that side, the musicians’ point of view. I also never focused on an “oboist’s puffed cheeks,” although when you shoot horn players in general they do tend to puff their cheeks.

Brent Carpenter

Santa Clarita