Leopold Stokowski - Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition
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Free Music Notes for Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition
Free Music Review: This is NOT the "Original Soundtrack"!
Hit: 1 Stars
I was very disappointed to find out that this is in fact not the original soundtrack to "Fantasia" as it was released in 1940, but rather to the 1969 CENSORED version.
The affected work is Beethoven's 6th Symphony (tracks 1 to 3 on the second CD).
As film buffs know, the "Pastoral" scene with the centaurs in Fantasia was censored in order to remove the "Sunflower" character, which the Walt Disney company in their infinite PC-consciousness deemed to be too offensive to be left in the movie.
As an aside, yes this character was a very poor racial stereotype but the ham-handed approach with which Disney censored the character just butchered the scene - from grainy closeups (to remove the character via pan & scan cropping) to ridiculous editing (such as the red carpet magically rolling up by itself, rather than being pushed by Sunflower).
But how does this affect the soundtrack, you ask?
Well, all this fooling around in the editing room resulted in the deletion of about 20 seconds of footage, obviously with dramatic effects on the music. The editor was thus forced to "censor" the music as well, cutting a trill here and there, removing a repeated musical phrase... you get the idea.
If you listen closely to the Pastoral symphony and compare it with other recordings, you'll notice that the music just does not "flow" properly. I noticed artifacts notably at the following positions:
Movement II (Andante Molto Mosso, track 2 on CD2) at around 1:45
Movement III (Allegro, track 3 on CD2) at around 1:25.
I don't want to get into the debate about whether it was right or wrong to censor the MOVIE.
But it's beyond the pale to release a censored SOUNDTRACK, butchering Beethoven's masterpiece as well as insulting the buyer with false advertising in the process. Original Soundtrack, indeed! Of course, "Remastered Censored Soundtrack" doesn't sound nearly as catchy...
Free Music Review: Unlistenable.
Hit: 1 Stars
Don't get me wrong, Fantasia is one of my favorite movies and Stokowski my favorite conductor--a true genius. The problem is that these CDs were "restored" ("destroyed" would be a better word) by someone who has no idea what music sounds like. In a desperate attempt to preserve our ears from any (gasp!) noise, a brutal gating filter was used to destroy any semblance of the sound of real instruments. And, since optical recording of the time had very poor treble response, what treble there is has been boosted mercilessly, resuting in shrill, screechy strings. I really cannot bear to listen to these CDs.
I see that someone has muddied the waters by uploading pictures of the 1980s digital re-recording of the soundtrack (the CDs with the brown background). Blasphemous as it sounds, that may be the better way to hear this music, at least until the Disney company sees fit to allow a proper restoration of the original soundtrack to be done.
Free Music Review: Great music, muddy sound quality
Hit: 1 Stars
I felt strongly enough about my waste of money in buying this soundtrack that I felt compelled to add my voice to the chorus telling people not to buy this compact disc. The idea of Fantasia is appealing because the soundtrack brings together great music from different composers all in one place. However, the sound quality is so muddy that I simply could not listen to this music any longer than necessary to decide to prune this from my collection. In particular, sections of "A Night on Bald Mountain" get louder and softer a few notes apart when the music should play at the same volume. In an era when you can purchase individual pieces of music, this soundtrack can easily be stitched together from more modern recordings. The one star refers to the quality of the recording. With good sound quality, Fantasia would be a five star compact disc.Free Music Review: Yes, the Sound Quality Sucks
Hit: 1 Stars
Just wanted to chime in with many of the other reviewers and say the sound quality on this CD is absolutely horrible. Seriously, it REALLY sucks. At least after reading these reviews I know why it sucks so much. Buy this only if you're a hardcore classical fan who can pick out and appreciate the supposed wonderful nuances of this particular recording. Otherwise see if you can find the "uninspired" remake from the 80s. That one sounds awesome.Free Music Review: Mickey mouse on cover, elevator music for 70 year olds
Hit: 1 Stars
I bought it a couple of years ago looking at the cover but was extremely disappointed when my 18-month old insisted on "Mickey" today and I chucked it into my DVD player. Our baby started crying aloud suggesting "what is this rap?" Disney folks ought to know better not try and market elevator music for 70-year olds to little toddlers regardless of how fantasia the cover looks like!