Category: SACD

Title: Arthur Fielder with Boston Pops Orchestra – Pops Caviar: Russian Orchestral Fireworks (2006)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Pops Caviar — Russian Orchestral Fireworks, featuring Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, delivers over an hour of vibrant Russian showpieces by Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, and Tchaikovsky, with DSD remastering vividly capturing the original master tapes’ superb sound. These performances, neither strictly good nor bad, embody the Boston Pops’ middle-brow appeal, transforming the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s high-caliber playing into lush, colorful, and bold renditions tailored for excitement rather than subtlety, with sweet strings, blended winds, big brass, and gargantuan percussion. Fiedler’s capable conducting shines in the brilliant balances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture and the driven tempos of Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances, prioritizing thrills for audiences who relish loud, sexy orchestral flair. For those seeking similar excitement with deeper interpretive nuance, Gergiev’s Kirov Orchestra recordings on Philips offer lyrical and incandescent alternatives, while RCA’s remastered stereo sound, though flashy, lacks some depth compared to the original LPs.

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Title: Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops – Up, Up and Away & Fiedler’s Choice (1968 & 1970) [Reissue 2019]
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Arthur Fiedler, the beloved conductor of the Boston Pops for nearly 50 years, embodied orchestral music for everyday Americans with his approachable, populist programming and warm podium presence, outlasting Leonard Bernstein’s briefer New York fame but often typecast as a pops conductor. His album Up, Up and Away, featuring Richard Hayman’s lush arrangements, transforms 1960s hits like Jimmy Webb’s title track, Paul Mauriat’s “Love Is Blue,” and “Lara’s Theme” (aka Ray Conniff’s “Somewhere My Love”) into vibrant orchestral renditions without vocals, distinct from their pop origins. Producer Peter Dellheim’s liner notes reveal the influence of Diana Ross & the Supremes’ “A Lover’s Concerto” (itself a nod to the Toys’ version) on the inclusion of a Bach Minuet, alongside majestic takes on André Previn’s Valley of the Dolls theme and lively versions of “Cabaret” and Beatles’ hits “Yesterday” and “Michelle.” The album, enriched by a playful cover featuring Fiedler with eight women by an airplane, perfectly captures the easy-listening spirit of 1968 with the Boston Pops’ signature polish and charm.

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Title: Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops – Hi-Fi Fiedler (2005)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

RCA Victor’s pioneering three-channel recordings, begun in 1953 using Ampex decks, predate the 1958 stereo LP and are showcased in this SACD, which restores the original three-channel master tapes for a deeper, wider soundstage unattainable even by mint vinyl pressings. Featuring Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, the disc includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s vibrant Le Coq d’or suite, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Marche slave, Chabrier’s dazzling España, and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 and Rakoczy March, all chosen for their colorful orchestral brilliance ideal for hi-fi demonstration. Recorded between 1956 and 1960, these selections highlight Fiedler’s knack for infusing light classical music with excitement, a talent that made him the best-selling conductor in history, notably with his million-selling Jalousie 78rpm. The SACD’s three-channel playback, offering enhanced flexibility in mixing for a balanced stereo soundstage, delivers the vivid impact RCA engineers experienced, making this budget-friendly disc a remarkable audiophile treasure.

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