Search - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Gioachino Rossini, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky :: Hi-Fi Fiedler [Hybrid SACD]

Another Example of Fiedler's Magic and Musicianship

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 10/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The woman who lives next to the house where I grew up has a scratched copy of the LP version of HI-FI FIEDLER. I know this because she lent it to me if I promised to be very careful. I was just developing an interest in classical music and she thought I would enjoy it. She was correct. I listened to it over and over again. I put it on my father's stereo, something I could only do when my parents were not home, took out a magic wand or some similar stick from my sister's toy chest, became Arthur Fielder and conducted the legendary Boston Pops Orchestra as the music emanated from the speakers. I thought I was alone in the house because I'd never want anyone to see this spectacle, but my younger brother was lurking behind me as I finished "conducting" the march from "Le Coq d'Or." I guess I decided the orchestra needed some extra practice and picked up the needle to play the march again. My brother startled me and the end result, I scratched the record and the needle kept getting stuck at the end of the march. When I returned the recording and asked my neighbor if she knew it had a small scratch, she nicely told me it did not and from that point on, anytime I listened to recordings from her collection, I listened to them at her house and she controlled the phonograph.



Obviously I purchased this recording for nostalgic reasons, but each time I listen to it, I gain a new appreciation for Fiedler. As a Bostonian, I always acknowledged him as a revered cultural icon, but he took music seriously, and his recordings offered listeners a taste of the variety of great music available. One could argue that larger symphony orchestras under the direction of conductors such as Solti and Karajan offer fuller sounding renditions of these works, but listeners can detect Fiedler's love and his belief in the importance of these works in his interpretations. I think that it can be argued that Fiedler's conducting of Tchaikovsky's "March Slave" is one of the best versions of this work available (he loved Tchaikovsky's music), his vigorous interpretation of the overture to "William Tell" is exciting, and he's largely responsible for the popularity of both Charbrier's "Espana" and the music from "Le Coq d'Or." Perhaps this is why this recording, as well as so many other Fiedler recordings, have been reissued and seem to stand the test of time. I listen to it to bring up memories, but I also share it with young people to introduce them to classical music.



Enjoy!

"