The Magical Music of Disney

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s latest concert entitled The Magical Music of Disney wasn’t just a trip down memory lane for those who grew up in Disney movies like me. But it was also a trip around the world as the films and the music took the audience on a magic carpet ride across the globe (even under the sea) although everyone was in the comfort of their seats at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

The opening number, the Disney Classics Overture that had the orchestra, led by Gerard Salonga, play a medley of tunes that included Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boo and the Mickey Mouse March among many others. But this didn’t represent a certain country or continent and it was only in hindsight that I guessed that this piece probably represented Disneyland.

After this overture, the journey around the world began guided by the host for the evening, Nikki Gil. The first stop was Africa, the setting for the movie Tarzan that featured music by Phil Collins. Aside from the strong drum line, there wasn’t really much of an African influence in the the Tarzan Suite that the orchestra played. While the music was playing, stills and clips from the movie were being shown on the screen. It was easy to just get lost in the visuals and relegate the music into the background so I had to tread carefully throughout this evening. Then it was off to a brief excursion to Denmark where the tale of The Little Mermaid originated before plunging under the sea for the music. There was none of the Danish music in The Little Mermaid Orchestral Suite since it was more Caribbean especially the Under the Sea portion. I was reminded that this film, featuring the music of Alan Menken and the lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, was the one that brought Disney animated films back into the spotlight after floundering the decade before.

Things picked up from there as they continued on to my most anticipated part which was the Hercules Suite from the 1997 film Hercules. This was yet another case wherein the music bore not relation to the origin of the film. Gospel music may have no link at all to Greek mythology but that didn’t mean that this number didn’t rock. It was very amusing to see Gerard Salonga, clearly enjoying himself, almost dancing while conducting especially during the Zero to Hero part. Probably the most interesting inclusion in the entire concert was the Mary Poppins Fantasy. Released in 1964, Mary Poppins was the oldest film in the bunch and it also featured mainly live actors like Julie Andrews. Of course, there was the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious song but what really got my attention was the music styles from the turn of the 20^th century featured in this suite. The final piece for the first half was Beauty and the Beast Suite from the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. This film from 1991 was set in rural France and it was only then did I notice how pastoral this piece was. And this performance solidified my belief that this film is still the benchmark when it comes to music scores for animated films.

The second half began with Rescuers Down Under Theme which is one film that isn’t as popular as the others featured in this concert. This section took the audience down under to the Australian outback but the music, just like Tarzan, didn’t have that much distinct Aussie flavor in it. The same could not be said with the Aladdin Orchestral Suite with its very strong Arabian themes. But one thing that made Aladdin’s soundtrack unique was the addition of big band tunes in it like Friend Like Me. Eastern Asia wasn’t left behind as the concert went to China with Mulan Suite. Nikki introduced this segment by singing a bit of Reflection. Even though I can’t recall much of the music from this film, I enjoyed the very oriental sound in some of the tunes. Sadly, I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the next bit which was The Hunchback of Notre Dame Suite. I’ve seen the film only once and I couldn’t recall any of the music at all. I guess it was either forgettable or this most likely signaled the time when I started losing interest and getting tired with Disney animated films. Thankfully, the Lion King Song Suite was from the time when I was into Disney animated films big time and I was really completely mesmerized by the African rhythms and how it fit well with the film’s majestic score. I guess that I was really obsessed with this music since I wished that there were African percussion instruments during the King of Pride Rock part to make it more authentic. But this was just me already nitpicking.

Of course, the concert would not be complete without the expected encores. First up was music from The Incredibles which was the newest and the only fully computer animated film featured in the concert. And Gerard anticipated that people won’t let Nikki Gil get away by just singing a few bars of Reflection earlier on. So Nikki returned to the stage once again to sing Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas which was the only North American stop for the evening. The final encore was a sing along of It’s a Small World (with a chorus part in Filipino) that had members of the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth joining alongside the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

Conductor Gerard Salonga

Overall, it was a fun evening of entertaining music that could be enjoyed by the whole family. For me, it was really great to be reminded of films that I’ve enjoyed in the past. The music scores from these Disney films also became a way for me to appreciate orchestral music a lot more. I remember seeing some of these movies and not getting much of the dialogue because I was so engrossed with the music. I’ve even seen them again on video just to focus only on the music and have worn out/broken cassette tapes of the soundtracks as well. So it was indeed a blast for me to be able to hear this music at long last performed live by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.