Natalia Goncharova's Costume Design for "Night on the Bare Mountain" (c. 1924). Library of Congress Collection
The ballet La Nuit sur le Mont Chauve (Night on the Bare Mountain) premiered in April, 1924 at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo. The choreography was by Bronislava Nijinska and the set and costume designs were by Natalia Goncharova.
Night on the Bare Mountain (now better known as Night on Bald Mountain) is an orchestral work by Mussorgsky inspired by the witches’ Sabbath in Gogol’s story of “St. John’s Eve.” It was composed in 1867 as an orchestral work, revised in 1872 as an operatic choral piece, and revised and re-orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886. The latter is now the concert favorite and the one most often programmed. However, millions of 20th century listeners owe their initial acquaintance with the music to Leopold Stokowski who composed a version in 1940 for Walt Disney’s animated masterpiece, Fantasia.
My favorite Disney clip featuring Stokowski’s Night on Bald Mountain has been deleted from Youtube. It was removed, allegedly, on “copyright grounds.” I can’t help but notice, however, that many other Disney clips remain on Youtube. This selective action, I suspect, is corporate Disney yielding to the demands of a small band of viewers who complain about the so-called “demonic imagery” in the “Night on Bald Mountain.” To those viewers I say “Get a Life!”
Fortunately, Stokowski’s music is still on Youtube but without the Disney animation:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu970EXXGzQ
In fact, an animated version of Night on Bald Mountain preceded Disney. It is by Alexeieff, it was produced in 1933 and it isn’t bad at all:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbjW7XrWDo
Finally, the Disney animation survives on the web (for how long is anyone’s guess) but without Leopold Stokowski conducting the orchestra. Check it out here:
Natalia Goncharova's Costume Design for "Night on the Bare Mountain" (c. 1924). Library of Congress Collection
The ballet La Nuit sur le Mont Chauve (Night on the Bare Mountain) premiered in April, 1924 at the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo. The choreography was by Bronislava Nijinska and the set and costume designs were by Natalia Goncharova.
Night on the Bare Mountain (now better known as Night on Bald Mountain) is an orchestral work by Mussorgsky inspired by the witches’ Sabbath in Gogol’s story of “St. John’s Eve.” It was composed in 1867 as an orchestral work, revised in 1872 as an operatic choral piece, and revised and re-orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1886. The latter is now the concert favorite and the one most often programmed. However, millions of 20th century listeners owe their initial acquaintance with the music to Leopold Stokowski who composed a version in 1940 for Walt Disney’s animated masterpiece, Fantasia.
My favorite Disney clip featuring Stokowski’s Night on Bald Mountain has been deleted from Youtube. It was removed, allegedly, on “copyright grounds.” I can’t help but notice, however, that many other Disney clips remain on Youtube. This selective action, I suspect, is corporate Disney yielding to the demands of a small band of viewers who complain about the so-called “demonic imagery” in the “Night on Bald Mountain.” To those viewers I say “Get a Life!”
Fortunately, Stokowski’s music is still on Youtube but without the Disney animation:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu970EXXGzQ
In fact, an animated version of Night on Bald Mountain preceded Disney. It is by Alexeieff, it was produced in 1933 and it isn’t bad at all:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYbjW7XrWDo
Finally, the Disney animation survives on the web (for how long is anyone’s guess) but without Leopold Stokowski conducting the orchestra. Check it out here: