Disney Goes Classical Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

• Marc Shaiman (b. 1959):
• 1Overture03:06
• Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980):
• 2How Far I'll Go02:48
• Alan Menken (b. 1949) & Tim Rice (b. 1944):
• 3A Whole New World02:43
• Elton John (b. 1947):
• 4Can You Feel the Love Tonight04:03
• Randy Newman (b. 1943):
• 5Almost There02:24
• Alan Menken & David Zippel (b. 1954):
• 6Go The Distance04:22
• Alan Menken:
• 7Colors of the Wind03:28
• Randy Newman:
• 8When She Loved Me03:00
• Terry Gilkyson (1916 - 1999):
• 9The Bare Necessities03:40
• Alan Menken:
• 10Part Of Your World04:12
• Alan Menken & Howard Ashman (1950 - 1991):
• 11Beauty and the Beast02:46
• Alan Menken & Glenn Slater (b. 1968):
• 12I See The Light03:52
• Kristen Anderson (b. 1972) & Robert J Lopez (b. 1975):
• 13Let It Go03:42
• Matthew Wilder (b. 1953):
• 14Reflection02:34
• Leigh Harline (1907 - 1969) & Ned Washington (1901 - 1976):
• 15When You Wish Upon A Star04:00
• Total Runtime50:40

Info for Disney Goes Classical

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra teams up with a host of celebrities for Disney Goes Classical, a brand new album evoking the colour, emotion and pure joy of Disney music on a whole new scale, writes Nick Benson.

Disney fans are in for a treat, as the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a host of celebrated names have expertly re-orchestrated some of the most beloved Disney themes.

Decca Records and Disney Music Group’s Walt Disney Records have announced the release of Disney Goes Classical, a brand new album featuring some of the most popular Disney songs of all time, as you’ve never heard them before.

Recorded at London’s Air Studios, home to some of the finest movie soundtrack releases from the last century, the album features music from the most-recognisable Disney films. From its Golden Age to the nineties Renaissance and into the modern era of CGI animation, the album is sure to bring joy to Disney fans of all ages.

Featuring music from The Jungle Book and Pinocchio to Alan Menken’s inimitable scores from Pocahontas, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, 80 years of Disney magic have been reimagined in stunning cinematic sound.

Fans have already had a taste of the magic through the recent release of the album’s first single, Matteo Bocelli’s touching rendition of Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney’s animated nineties classic The Lion King. The ballad – penned by Elton John and Tim Rice – won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1994 and was also featured in the 2019 live-action remake. Matteo previously duetted with his father Andrea Bocelli on the hit song Fall on Me, from Andrea’s number one hit album Sì, which was chosen for the closing credits of Disney’s The Nutcracker and The Four Realms.

“I am beyond excited to join this project with Disney,” said Matteo. “The Lion King is one of the most cherished movies from my childhood and to sing the lead song is truly an honour for me. Elton John is one of my musical heroes for both his songwriting skills and his unique style. I hope to take some of that influence into the music I’m currently working on which I hope to share with you soon.”

Also featuring on the album is four-time Grammy-winning American soprano Renée Fleming with her beautiful rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio.

Other special performances, including the renowned Japanese classical guitarist Kaori Muraji, further transport the listener to another world.

Disney Goes Classical will strike a chord with families all over the world, as it brings the magic of the films from the screens to your headphones like never before.

Matteo Bocelli, tenor
Renée Fleming, soprano
Kaori Muraji, classical guitar
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
As the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary, its mission to enrich lives through orchestral experiences that are uncompromising in their excellence and inclusive in their appeal, places the RPO at the forefront of music-making in the UK and internationally. Typically performing approximately 200 concerts each season and with a worldwide audience of more than half-a-million people, the Orchestra embraces a broad repertoire that enables it to reach the most diverse audience of any British symphony orchestra. Whilst artistic integrity remains paramount, the RPO is unafraid to push boundaries and is equally at home recording video game, film and television soundtracks and working with pop stars, as it is performing the great symphonic repertoire.

The RPO collaborates with the most inspiring artists and is thrilled to welcome its new Music Director, Vasily Petrenko, from August 2021. His appointment stands as a major landmark in the Orchestra’s history, signalling its determination to broaden the audience for orchestral music while enhancing its reputation as one of the world’s most versatile ensembles. Vasily Petrenko made his debut with the RPO at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March 2016 delivering a powerful interpretation of Mahler’s Symphony No.2, ‘Resurrection’. His rapport with the Orchestra’s players has been reaffirmed with subsequent London performances, and forthcoming plans include a series of Mahler’s choral symphonies at the Royal Albert Hall, the great works of English composers at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, and tours to Germany and leading European festivals.

In addition to the Orchestra’s annual season of concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall and its home Cadogan Hall, the RPO is a respected cultural ambassador and enjoys a busy schedule of international touring, performing in the world’s great concerts halls and at prestigious international festivals. The RPO is recognised as being the UK’s most in-demand orchestra, an accolade that would have pleased Sir Thomas Beecham, who founded the RPO in 1946. His mission was to lead a vital revival of UK orchestras after World War II and form an ensemble that comprised the finest musicians in the country. The Orchestra has since attracted a glittering list of principal conductors, including Rudolf Kempe, Antal Doráti, Walter Weller, André Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Temirkanov, Daniele Gatti and Charles Dutoit.

The RPO aims to place orchestral music at the heart of contemporary society, collaborating with creative partners to foster a deeper engagement with communities to ensure that live orchestral music is accessible to as inclusive and diverse an audience as possible. To achieve this, in 1993 the Orchestra launched RPO Resound, which has grown to become the most innovative and respected orchestral community and education programme in the UK and internationally.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has always been entrepreneurial and in 1986 it was the first UK orchestra to launch its own record label. The RPO has gone on to embrace advances in digital technology and now achieves nearly thirty million downloads of its recorded music each year. The Orchestra is increasingly active online (www.rpo.co.uk) and on social media (@rpoonline) providing audiences with the opportunity to engage with the RPO and enjoy ‘behind-the-scenes’ insights.

Passion, versatility and uncompromising artistic standards are the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s hallmarks, and as it looks forward to an exciting future with its new Music Director, Vasily Petrenko, it will continue to be recognised as one of the world’s most open-minded, forward-thinking and accessible symphony orchestras.

This album contains no booklet.