[SACD-R][OF] Arthur Fiedler – Boston Pops Orchestra - Pops Caviar - 2006 (Classical)

1. In the Steppes of Central Asia (V sredney Azii), musical picture for orchestra (7:42)
Composer Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Romantic Period / Tone Poem
Date Written 1880
Period Romantic
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Notes Symphony Hall, Boston, MA (06/20/1957/06/21/1957)
Composition written: 1880.
Composition revised: Russia.
2. Russian Easter Festival Overture (Svetliy pazdnik), for orchestra, Op. 36 (13:21)
Common Name Russian Easter Festival Overture Svetliy Pazdnik For Orchestra
Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Overture / Romantic Period
Date Written 1888
Period Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Notes Symphony Hall, Boston, MA (06/20/1957/06/21/1957)
3. Prince Igor, opera (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov): Overture (10:07)
Common Name Prince Igor Opera Completed By Rimsky Korsakov & Glazunov
Composer Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Opera / Romantic Period
Date Written 1869-1887
Period Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Notes Symphony Hall, Boston, MA (06/20/1957/06/21/1957)
4. Prince Igor, opera (completed by Rimsky-Korsakov & Glazunov): Polovtsian Dances (11:03)
Common Name Polovtsian Dances, Prince Igor Opera Completed By Rimsky Korsakov & Glazunov
Composer Alexander Borodin (1833 - 1887)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Opera / Romantic Period
Date Written 1869-1887
Period Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Notes Symphony Hall, Boston, MA (06/20/1957/06/21/1957)
5. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Lullaby (4:57)
Common Name Lullaby, Gayane Ballet In 4 Acts
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet
Date Written 1941-1942
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/23/1958
Notes Composition written: 1941-42.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.
6. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Lezghinka (2:47)
Common Name Lezghinka, Gayane Ballet In 4 Acts
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet
Date Written 1941-1942
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/23/1958
Notes Composition written: 1941-42.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.
7. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Dance of the Rose Maidens (2:02)
Common Name Dance Of The Rose Maidens, Gayane Ballet In 4 Acts
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet
Date Written 1941-1942
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/23/1958
Notes Composition written: 1941-42.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.
8. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Dance of the Kurds (1:57)
Common Name Gayane Ballet In 4 Acts
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet
Date Written 1941-1942
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/23/1958
Notes Composition written: 1941-42.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.
9. Gayane, ballet in 4 acts: Sabre Dance (2:28)
Common Name Sabre Dance, Gayane Ballet In 4 Acts
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet
Date Written 1941-1942
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/23/1958
Notes Composition written: 1941-42.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.
10. The Flight of the Bumble Bee, musical picture for orchestra (from The Tale of Tsar Saltan) (1:25)
Common Name The Flight Of The Bumble Bee Musical Picture For Orchestra From The
Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Character Piece
Date Written 1901
Period Post-Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 05/30/1958
11. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24: Polonaise (4:33)
Common Name Polonaise, Eugene Onegin Opera
Composer Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Opera / Romantic Period
Date Written 1877-1878
Period Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 06/27/1958
12. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Waltz (4:32)
Common Name The Sleeping Beauty Ballet
Composer Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Ballet / Romantic Period
Date Written 1888-1889
Period Romantic
Country Russia
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 06/25/1959
13. Masquerada, suite from the incidental music for orchestra (or piano): Galop (2:39)
Common Name Galop, Masquerada Suite From The Incidental Music For Orchestra Or Piano
Composer Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978)
Conductor Arthur Fiedler
Genre Suite
Date Written 1944
Period Modern
Venue Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Recording Date 06/25/1959
Notes Composition written: 1944.
Composition revised: Soviet Union.

Arthur Fiedler & the Boston Pops perform orchestral works from composers Alexander Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Aram Khachaturian, & Tchaikovsky.
Over an hour of the most beloved Russian orchestral showpieces, in performances worthy of a great maestro & his orchestra. DSD remastering brilliantly reproduces the superb sound quality of the original master tapes.
AllMusic Review by James Leonard:
While by no means bad performances, the performances on Pops Caviar — Russian Orchestral Fireworks are by no means good performances, either. They have, like Nietzsche’s übermensch, transcended concepts like good & bad because they are, from conception to execution, pops performances, specifically, Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler performances. For listeners who don’t immediately recall the series of pops recordings Fiedler made for RCA in the ’50s & ’60s with the Boston Symphony Orchestra re-named the Boston Pops Orchestra, the difference between the BSO & the BPO is not one of quality — good, bad, or mediocre — but of brow — high, middle, or low. As the BPO demonstrates here in works by Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, & Khachaturian, this difference means the difference between clean, full strings & sweet, lush strings; between warmly characterful winds & colorfully blended winds; between clear, strong brass & big, bold brass; &, especially, between suave, polished percussion & gargantuan, bludgeoning percussion. In other words, the quality of the playing is still 1st-rate, but the quality is aimed at what used to be called a middle-brow audience, an audience that knew what it liked & what it liked was loud, colorful, & a bit sexy. Fiedler is a more than capable conductor who leads performances notable more for their excitement than for their subtly: listen to the brilliant balances in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture or the driven tempos in Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances. These are the performances to get if you’re looking for excitement & thrills, but if you’re looking for performances with as much excitement but more subtlety, try Gergiev & the Kirov Orchestra’s recordings on Philips. Gergiev believes in the quality of Borodin’s gloriously lyrical melodies & Rimsky-Korsakov’s incandescent colors, & his recordings are as thrilling as performances as they are compelling as interpretations. RCA’s remastering of the original living stereo sound reproduces the flash of the LPs, but lacks some of the depth.