Program 103
"Classical Disney"

Play List:

Delos International DE 3186: Heigh-Ho! Mozart: Favorite Disney Tunes in the Style of Great Classical Composers, performed by Carol Rosenberger, piano; Eugenia Zukerman, flute; The Shanghai Quartet; Los Angeles Guitar Quartet; The Millar Brass Ensemble, conducted by Vincent Cichowicz; Anthony Newman, harpsichord; Paul Barritt, violin; Voices of Ascension, conducted by Dennis Keene; The English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Donald Fraser. All arrangements by Donald Fraser.

MUSIC: clip from Heigh Ho! in the style of Mozart [under the following]

You are listening to Heigh Ho! from the Disney classic, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” But this arrangement by Donald Fraser makes it sound as though the music were by Mozart.

Welcome to Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman, and our theme for this hour is “Classical Disney.” We’ll listen to this and other arrangements of favorite Disney tunes in the style of great classical composers.

Back in 1995 Delos International, Inc. released a recording which I thought at the time -- and still think -- deserves a special award for clever arrangements. Fraser is a master at this. He manages to capture the essence of a composer’s style and transform it to a melody from a Disney movie.
The CD can be enjoyed on several levels by many age groups. Anyone familiar with the Disney tunes will enjoy hearing them in these new arrangements, whether or not they like classical music. In fact the CD probably serves as a good introduction to classical music for Disney-loving kids of all ages.

But I realize that many people in my audience are already very familiar with the music of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Joplin, Chopin, Johann Strauss, Grieg, and the other composers represented on this CD. So to make this hour even more fun for these classical afficionados, I’m not usually going to tell you in advance which composer’s style is up next. I’ll only tell you the name of the Disney tune and what motion picture it is from. Then, if you care to play this game, name that composer and I’ll let you know after the piece whether or not you got it right.

MUSIC: fades out

O.K., let’s get started! Here’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. In whose style is this written? The English Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Donald Fraser, the same chap who arranged this music.

MUSIC: “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King.

“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the Disney movie, The Lion King. This was arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of Tchaikovsky for the 1995 Delos compact disc release called “Heigh-Ho! Mozart: Favorite Disney Tunes in the Style of Great Classical Composers.” Fraser conducted the English Chamber Orchestra. Paul Barritt was the violin soloist.


All the music in this Compact Discoveries hour, with its theme, “Classical Disney,” is from the same CD, and Fraser is the arranger in each case.

Next let’s listen to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, with the Millar Brass Ensemble conducted by Vincent Cichowicz. In whose style was this Disney tune written?

MUSIC: “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid

“Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid. Performance was by the Millar Brass Ensemble conducted by Vincent Cichowicz. The arrangement was by Donald Fraser in the style of Scott Joplin. And you are listening to “Classical Disney” on Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman.

Next, from the same Delos International CD, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from Walt Disney’s The Three Little Pigs. Once again we’ll hear the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donald Fraser. Fraser arranged this piece in the style of a very famous classical music composer. Can you guess which one?

MUSIC: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from Walt Disney’s The Three Little Pigs

“Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” from Walt Disney’s The Three Little Pigs.
This was arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of Johann Strauss. Fraser conducted the English Chamber Orchestra in this Delos recording from the CD called “Heigh-Ho Mozart,” which was released in 1995.


This is Fred Flaxman. The program is called Compact Discoveries, and I’m devoting this hour to “Classical Disney.”

Up next is a song from the Disney film, Mary Poppins called “Feed the Birds.” It is performed by the Shanghai Quartet. This was arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of one of the most famous classical composers of all times. Can you name that composer?

MUSIC: “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins

“Feed the Birds” from the Disney film, Mary Poppins performed by the Shanghai Quartet. The arrangement by Donald Fraser was in the style of Johannes Brahms.

We are listening to “Classical Disney” on this hour of Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman.

MUSIC: “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio

“When You Wish Upon a Star” from the Disney film classic, Pinocchio, arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of Richard Strauss. Fraser conducted the English Chamber Orchestra in this 1995 Delos International release.

Now here’s the title song from this CD, “Heigh-Ho!” from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Eugenia Zukerman is the flutist with the Shanghai Quartet.

MUSIC: “Heigh-Ho!” from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
“Heigh-Ho!” from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Eugenia Zukerman was the flutist with the Shanghai Quartet. The arrangement was done in the style of Mozart by Donald Fraser.

Here’s another classic Disney tune arranged in the style of a famous classical composer. Can you name the composer? Can you name that tune? Can you remember the name of the Disney film from which it comes?

MUSIC: “With a Smile and a Song” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

“With a Smile and a Song” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, arranged in the style of Chopin, of course, and performed by pianist Carol Rosenberger. Wasn’t that clever? I mean, it just sounded so much like Chopin!

You are listening to “Classical Disney” on Compact Discoveries. We’re hearing favorite Disney tunes in the style of great classical composers in very clever arrangements by Donald Fraser. All of this music comes from a Delos compact disc which was issued back in 1995.

Next, Beauty and the Beast performed by Carol Rosenberger on the piano with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donald Fraser.

MUSIC: Beauty and the Beast

Carol Rosenberger, on the piano, with the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Donald Fraser playing music from the Disney film, Beauty and the Beast as Rachmaninoff might have composed this piece.


We are listening to “Classical Disney” on this hour of Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman.

[optional one minute break not included in total timing]

One of the most famous of the Disney films is the classic Cinderella. Let’s listen to “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” as arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of Edvard Grieg. Fraser conducts the English Chamber Orchestra.

MUSIC: “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella

“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from the Disney film Cinderella. The music was arranged by Donald Fraser in the style of Edvard Grieg. Fraser conducted the English Chamber Orchestra.

MUSIC: “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas

“Colors of the Wind” from the Disney film Pocahontas, arranged in the style of Dvorak by Donald Fraser, who conducted the English Chamber Orchestra in this Delos recording.

This is Compact Discoveries and I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman. We are devoting this hour to “Classical Disney.”

MUSIC: “I Wanna Be Like You” from Jungle Book

“I Wanna Be Like You” from the Disney film, Jungle Book, as performed by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet in the style of Villa-Lobos. The arrangement was by Donald Fraser.


Next bring on Winnie the Pooh in the style of Prokofiev with the Shanghai Quartet and flutist Eugenia Zukerman.

MUSIC: Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh in the style of Prokofiev with the Shanghai Quartet and flutist Eugenia Zukerman.

MUSIC: “Little April Shower” from Bambi

“Little April Shower” from the Walt Disney classic film, Bambi. The arrangement was in the style of Handel. The harpsichordist was Anthony Newman.

We have time for one more “Classical Disney” piece: “Prince Ali” from the movie Aladdin. This was arranged by Donald Fraser to sound as though it were written by Bela Bartók.

MUSIC: “Prince Ali” from Aladdin

“Prince Ali” from the Disney film Aladdin, arranged as though written by Bela Bartók, and performed by the Millar Brass Ensemble.

MUSIC: same clip as opening [under the following]


You have been listening to “Classical Disney” for the last hour on Compact Discoveries. All the music came from a 1995 Delos International release called “Heigh-Ho! Mozart: Favorite Disney Tunes in the style of Great Classical Composers.”

This is Fred Flaxman hoping that you have enjoyed our little game of guessing the composers and that you’ll let me hear from you. You can reach me in care of the Compact Discoveries website at www.compactdiscoveries.com. You can also use the website to view complete scripts for these programs, including information on every CD used. And you can stream this and other Compact Discoveries programs on demand at the Public Radio Exchange website, www.prx.org.

Compact Discoveries is distributed via the Public Radio Exchange.

MUSIC: ends at 56:45

ANNOUNCER: Compact Discoveries is made possible in part by Story Books, publishers of The Timeless Tales of Reginald Bretnor, selected and edited by Fred Flaxman. Samples and ordering available at www.bretnor.com. [0:15]

RECORDING ENDS at 57:00

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