Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably as good as it gets, May 1, 2006
For fans of FANTASIA this CD is a nice companion to the DVD. You can relive the magic of the film with the audio tracks of the amazingly vivid and expressive performances of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Those who just listen to the CD will probably be puzzled by the somewhat odd sound of the recording. These tracks were never intended for home listening. The selections for FANTASIA, with one exception, were recorded in 1939 in Philadelphia on film using a pioneering multitrack system. At a time when stereo recording was still just an experiment at Bell Labs, Disney recorded Stokowski and the Philly Orch using four or more different tracks (all on separate film reels) for a multi-dimensional audio experience. The resulting "Fantasound" was only ever presented at just a few select theatres at the original FANTASIA "road-show" engagements.
This revolutionary sound recording sadly has mostly been lost. When FANTASIA was put into general release, the film was cut and the "Fantasound" soundtracks were mixed down to the standard mono track of films of the time. The mono version persisted through multiple releases while the original multitrack masters decayed or disappeared altogether.
The present CD and DVD soundtracks derive from Disney's engineers recent restoration of the surviving sound elements to recreate something of the magic of the lost original. We can thank them for the effort and enjoy these exciting performances in what is probably the best sound they can be found in today. Although the best way to hear it is in the surround 5.1 tracks on the DVD. The fade effects as the sound moves around to match the screen images can sound very peculiar when the recording is listened to alone.
The history of Fantasia's recording and restoration is well documented in a bonus docu-feature on the 60th Anniversary DVD.
One interesting, but little-known side-fact is that the orchestra heard in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is not the Philadelphia! This piece was recorded in Hollywood in 1938 with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic when the "Sorcerer" was originally planned as a deluxe short subject. It was at this time that Stokowski and Disney conceived the idea of a full "Concert Feature" and the remaining tracks were then recorded with the Phildelphia Orchestra including three others that didn't make it into the film.
Anyway, it's still a unique sound/music experience and well worth a listen! Are there better recordings of these works? Of course there are, including ones made by Stokowski. But there's only one FANTASIA!
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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Classic soundtrack, rotten sound., November 11, 2003
I would have no hesitations whatsoever in giving this wonderful soundtrack a 5-Star rating, but the sound quality (Rather, bad sound quality) is holding me back. Now, I'm not a CD snob who complains about minor pops and cracks that may appear in the music I listen to, but I can't honestly think that this soundtrack was remastered in any way. The strings are whiny, the horns are, as someone else mentioned, tinny, and the overall sound is nearly unbearable. I've listened to it on three different stereos and the result is always the same. I understand we're talking about recordings from over sixty years ago, but surely Disney, with all their millions, could afford to give this soundtrack the proper remastering it deserves and bring the full, vibrant sound of the music to the forefront once again.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic collection of music, November 27, 2001
By A Customer
I had been looking for this CD for almost a year. I'm delighted to see that Disney is remastering and rereleasing its classic soundtracks, including this one, on relatively inexpensive CDs.
This is an excellect collection of Classical music. It may not please the most serious Classical music aficionado, but it serves as a great introduction to major Classical composers (Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky) as well as a few lesser known pieces (The Socerer's Apprentice) and a joy for the more casual Classical fan, such as myself.
The sound has been cleaned up, though the horns sound a little tinny. That is probably my only complaint about this record, but it is understandable given the age of this recording.
Note that you get both CDs, which are just over 50 minutes each.
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