Remember Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, awash in a sea delivered by an ever-expanding army of diabolical brooms bearing water buckets? As animated interpretations of symphonic favorites go, this one—from the feature-length potpourri Fantasia of 1940—remains the ne plus ultra. But Walt Disney conceived of the entire production as a class act all the way. For the soundtrack, he hired the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra. In an indelible bit of cinematic trickery, Mickey danced up to the band’s legendary maestro Leopold Stokowski to pump his hand. Eighty years on, a new generation of Philadelphia virtuosi are accompanying the old footage live. But will Aram Demirjian, Stoki’s successor on the podium, get to reenact that immortal bit or will he not? Place your bets! —M.G.
