Love for Three Oranges / Sylphides / Preludes
If Arthur Fiedler is remembered at all, it's as the conductor of the Boston Pops, the popular outfit derived from the Boston Symphony, which he directed for 50 seasons until his retirement in 1979. Inevitably, the lion's share of the many discs they made for RCA were highlights and light classical selections, but an orchestra this good had no problem switching to more substantial fare, as this enjoyable release demonstrates. Prokofiev'sThree Oranges Suitegets played for all it's worth, and if you're partial to the famous "March," there are an additional five brief but vivid movements to enjoy.Sylphidesis never less than pleasant, though be warned that orchestrated Chopin does have a period charm but a high cringe factor! Liszt's symphonic poems don't get many live outings now, but performances of two of the best suggest we're missing out. Fiedler delivers a cracking performance with just the right degree of soul.Mazeppais almost luridly pictorial, but Fiedler knew how to combine substance with greasepaint in a way that defines his music-making as part of a bygone but cherished era.--Richard Whitehouse