It must be remembered that this stereo recording is from 1940 and so is far from perfect, but much better than any original soundtracks from that time are likely to sound. In fact it's better than soundtracks from decades later often sound. The curtain raiser is an orchestral version of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - the opening being the church organ equivalent to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in terms if fame. It's an interesting and bold move having it performed by orchestra, especially since Stokowski takes liberties with dynamics, tempo and perhaps most notably injects some passion which heightens the drama in a way that pretty much no organ performance could match. I'd be quite keen to hear a new recording, but I don't suppose there are (m)any conductors with an interest in doing so, probably seeing it as sacrilege. I don't suppose it ever occurred to Bach to orchestrate it himself.
The Bach is the only baroque piece to feature in either Fantasia or the sequel Fantasia 2000 and the emphasis is pretty squarely on romantic to 20th century. Even though Beethoven is technically classical (tending towards the end of the era occupied by composers such as Mozart and Haydn), his symphonies broke towards the passion of the romantics and although Stravinsky is 20th Century, his music is far from some of the atonal and often unlistenable music that passes for concert music these days. However, Tchaikovsky falls squarely into the Russian romantics and is one of those composers that is often snubbed by serious classical music fans as being overtly bombastic and shamelessly over the top. Of course, his music is crowd pleasing and The Nutcracker is one of his most well known works and quite restrained by Tchaikovsky standards, with individual movements - notably the vivacious Russian Dance and the elegant Waltz of the Flowers - invariably gaining instant recognition.
The most famous sequence is undoubtedly The Sorcerer's Apprentice and gave Mickey Mouse his only really famous feature appearance to date. That always astounds me given the prominence he is afforded by Disney as its corporate mascot. The music being a tone poem, the animation can deftly bring the story to life and the perfect pacing of the music is wonderfully matched by the animators. Stravinksy reportedly had some disputes with Disney over The Rite of Spring, although whether it was to do with payment, the arrangement or the animation choices, there is no definitive account. Probably the most dynamic and uncompromising music of the programme, the animation sets the music as an accompaniment to the dawn of the Earth and the age of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the overtly cartoon depiction of the dinosaurs is badly at odds with Stravinsky's bracing music, which is unfortunate as Stokowski's interpretation is energetic and forthright.
The kitsch highlight is the classical (this time in the Greek sense) setting of Beethoven's jaunty Sixth Symphony with flying horses, nymphs, fawns and the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus. Naff, but the music, originally a depiction of an afternoon in the country, is sublime. Dance of the Hours is one of those one hit wonder pieces by a composer, Ponchelli, whose name most would fail to recall. While he never had the wider appeal of Tchaikovsky or the other famous ballet composers, La Gioconda is a notably entry in the ballet music repertoire. The film ends with a darkness and light vision with the terrifying, if slightly repetitive, Night on the Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky and then one of the most beautiful and tranquil compositions ever, Schubert's sublime Ave Maria.
Leopold Stokowski was a fairly idiosyncratic conductor and his interpretations here are pretty much unlike any other conductor would even contemplate - he puts romance into Bach. However, the flamboyance pays off handsomely at the romantic end. As mentioned, the sound quality isn't perfect, but the clarity and reproduction acceptable given the age. As a classical album it is eclectic to say the least and while there is some pruning here and there, it is considerably more faithful than the fumbled follow up. Some superb music and with Fantasia 2000, it piqued my interest in the drama and virtuosic dynamism of Stravinsky, the inspiration to many a film composer and if that happens to any other listeners for any of the composers featured, that can only be a good thing.
Rating ~
The Nutcracker Suite
Having pioneered the full length animated feature film with Snow White, Walt Disney had a grand vision to set classical works to music, which originated from a desire to create a short based on Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice. That sequence was made, but the grander ambition was realised with Fantasia. I remember first seeing it when it was re-released in 1990 and wondering when the film would start, since I was totally unprepared for a film of just classical music and images. Its artistic merits are often disputed and classical purists are no doubt appalled by every frame, but as a way of making classical music popular it's certainly an interesting and somewhat successful one. That is, until they discovered the ways to turn classical performers into high class pop stars.
Disc 1 ~ 55:36
Johann Sebastian Bach
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Paul Dukas
Igor Stravinsky
Disc 2 ~ 48:12
Symphony No. 6 in F 'Pastorale'
Ludwig van Beethoven
4th movement: Allegro
5th movement: Allegretto
Amilcare Ponchelli
Modest Mussorgsky
Franz Schubert