Leopold Stokowski Essentials

The British-born maestro became one of the most high-profile American conductors of his day; his fascination with sound was legendary. He created a style of orchestral playing that gave us the seamless, lush sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra. And his orchestrations, particularly of Bach, proved that he knew how to extract the most amazing sounds from an orchestra. He was a trailblazer and gave the U.S. premieres of hundreds of works, many still regularly performed. He was still conducting at 95—proof that it really is a profession that guarantees longevity. Stokowski's immortality was granted by the movie Fantasia, in which he shakes hands with Mickey Mouse.