Disney's 'Fantasia'

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1940, Disney’s animated film Fantasia opened at New York’s Broadway Theater.

Disney’s film was a milestone in cultural crossover, in which classical music — in the person of conductor Leopold Stokowski — shook hands (literally and figuratively) with pop culture — in the person of Mickey Mouse.

It was also a milestone in cinematic sound. For its initial East and West Coast release, the Philadelphia Orchestra recorded nine special tracks, one for each section of the orchestra. These were mixed by Stokowski into a 4-track stereo soundtrack to be played in synchronization with the film on special equipment made by RCA for a multiple-loudspeaker theater installation called “Fantasound.” Three large speakers were positioned behind the projection screen, and no fewer than 65 smaller speakers were placed around the walls of the theater.

The resulting surround-sound was stunning by 1940 standards, but cost $85,000 to set up. After the second full installation at the Carthay Circle Theater in Los Angeles, “Fantasound” was not employed anywhere else. Instead, eight reduced “Fantasia Road Show” speaker set- ups toured American movie theaters until 1941, when, following the outbreak of World War II, Disney diverted his funds, technology and even Mickey Mouse toward the war effort.

Music Played in Today's Program

Bach, Tchaikovsky, Dukas, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Ponchielli, Mussorgsky and Schubert: excerpts from Fantasia soundtrack; Philadelphia Orchestra; Leopold Stokowski, conductor; Buena Vista 600072

On This Day

Births

• 1854 - American composer George Whitefield Chadwick, in Lowell, Massachusetts

• 1856 - Russian composer Sergei Taneyev, in near Moscow (Gregorian date: Nov. 25)

• 1921 - Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen, in Iisalmi

Deaths

• 1868 - Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, 76, in Passy, near Paris

• 1951 - Russian composer Nicolas Medtner, 70, in London

Premieres

• 1893 - Sibelius: Karelia Suite, in Viborg, Finland

• 1933 - Ruth Crawford Seeger: String Quartet, at the New School in New York City, by the New World String Quartet

• 1943 - Martinu: Symphony No. 1, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting

• 1953 - Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 5, in Moscow, by the Beethoven Quartet

• 1964 - Yardumian: Symphony No. 2 (Psalms), with vocalist Lili Chookasian, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting

• 1997 - Poul Ruders: Symphony No. 2, at Lincoln Center in New York, by the Riverside Symphony, George Rothman conducting

• 2002 - Tavener: Ikon of Eros for soloists, chorus and orchestra, at the St. Paul (Minnesota) Cathedral, with Jorja Fleezanis (violin), Patricia Rozario (soprano), Tim Krol (baritone), the Minnesota Chorale and Minnesota Orchestra, Paul Goodwin conducting

Others

• 1937 - First official radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Pierre Monteux conducting. Arthur Rodzinski had conducted a dress rehearsal broadcast on Nov. 2, 1937. Arturo Toscanini’s debut broadcast with the NBC Symphony would occur on Christmas Day, 1937.

• 1940 - Disney releases Fantasia, an animated film based on classical music favorites ranging from Bach to Stravinsky. Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra recorded the soundtrack, and in one famous scene Stokowski shakes hands with Mickey Mouse.