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CSO performs classic Disney scores as part of ‘Magical Music From the Movies’ special event
If you go
› What: Chattanooga Symphony & Opera special event, “Disney in Concert: Magical Music From the Movies.”› When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16.› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St. › Admission: $28-$80, plus convenience fees. › Phone: 423-267-8583.› Website: chattanoogasymphony.org/event/disney-in-concert-magical-music-from-the-movies/
The program
› “Disney Classics Overture”› “Disney’s The Little Mermaid Orchestral Suite”› “Colors of the Wind” (from “Pochahontas”)› “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Orchestral Suite”› “I Wan’na Be Like You” (from “The Jungle Book”)› “Medley from Disney’s Mary Poppins”› “Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame Orchestral Suite”› “Let It Go” (from “Frozen”)› “Disney’s Aladdin Orchestral Suite”› “Pirates of the Caribbean Suite”› “Disney’s The Lion King Orchestral Song Suite”
From the dwarvish chorus of “Heigh-Ho” in 1937’s “Snow White” to Queen Elsa’s defiant anthem “Let It Go” in 2013’s “Frozen,” the legacy of Disney films is as much a factor of memorable musical scores as it is stunning animation.
On Saturday, April 16, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will present “Disney in Concert: Magical Music From the Movies,” a special event celebrating the decades of timeless songs produced by the animation studio.
“All these tunes are just super-catchy,” says CSO conductor Kayoko Dan. “The music is really easy for kids to sing along, and it gets stuck in your head. These composers are just amazing.”
Dan says it speaks to the quality of the music and lyrics “that after so many decades, these are still people’s favorite songs. People still remember them and have fond memories of them. I think it’s amazing that these composers and these performers were able to do that.”
Dan, 38, says her family didn’t watch many movies, Disney or otherwise growing up, but she fondly remembers watching films such as “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” on days when a substitute teacher filled in for her middle-school band director.
“It’s fun to revisit that,” she laughs. “Bringing back those memories is really cool.”
Saturday’s 90-minute performance, plus intermission, will include entire songs and medleys drawn from 11 films, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Little Mermaid.” The performance will begin with a “Disney Classics Overture” featuring selections from Disney’s early films, and according to reviews of other “Disney in Concert” performances, the evening may conclude with a sing-along rendition of “It’s a Small World.”
But since this is Disney, instrumental performances alone just won’t do. In addition to film clips that will accompany the music, guest vocalists and musical-theater veterans Anthony Apicella, Andrea Ross, Lisa Livesay and Nathan Riley also will be featured, both as soloists and in chorus.
“There are recent pieces like ‘Frozen’ that kids nowadays love and pieces that my generation loved when we were kids,” Dan says. “I think it will be a really great, multi-generational concert.”
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.