Search - Jacques Offenbach, Ottorino Respighi, Arthur Fiedler :: Offenbach: Gaite Parisienne; Rossini-Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque

One of Fiedler's Best

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 11/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jacques Offenbach was the Andrew Lloyd Webber or Richard Rogers of his day. He was a composer who knew how to touch the public's heart and his works were successful as well. Yet after his death, he nearly went into obscurity, at least in comparison to the success he had in his lifetime. It seemed that only a few of his works survived but in the past few years there have been more discoveries of works believed to be lost and restaging of some of his works other than the operetta LE BELLE HELENE and his opera THE TALES OF HOFFMAN. In the past twenty or so years Offenbach has been taken a bit more seriously. While this happens to composers somewhat often, a renewed interest in Offenbach could be attributed to many things, but I wonder if it's due in no small part to the popularity of the score to GAITE PARISIENNE, based on music composed by Offenbach and arranged and orchestrated by Manuel Rosenthal. This score became so well known and introduced a new generation of the music of Offenbach, some may have wondered what else is out there? A theory maybe, but it's plausible.



When Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops first recorded this work, it was considered the standard upon which other recordings of the work were based. None seem to match its excitement. The work was a staple with the Pops throughout the tenure of Fiedler and Fiedler's characteristic of sometimes upping the tempo works well with this recording. In just about every Fiedler recording, it's evident he enjoys the music he's conducting, taking it seriously but also having fun and in some ways, his conducting of GAITE PARISIENNE demonstrates this more than any other Fiedler rerecording. Fiedler gives the same attention to LA BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE, Ottorino Respighi's arrangement of music by Rossini. It's simply an enjoyable recording, perfect for those times you want something lighthearted in the CD player. I would also say that this recording is a good selection for introducing a young person to classical music. I was probably in the sixth or seventh grade when I first grabbed this recording as an LP from my parents record collection. I put it on the stereo just to hear how it sounded and loved it. When I taught seventh graders many years later and wanted to expose them to different styles of music, I put on the same LP and students loved the familiar melodies of the Can-Can and Barcarolle and found that the variety of instruments used in the score was a good way to introduce students to the instruments of an orchestra.

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Sonically Magnificent - And Great Fun!!

Richard Falgione | U S A | 03/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On vinyl this recording of Offenbach's Gaîté Parisienne was the cream of the crop of the RCA Living Stereo line-up. This reissue on CD is just as tremendous. The combination of exuberant conducting, virtuosic playing and brilliant engineering makes for a recording of truly historic and heroic proportion."

High spirits

Richard Falgione | 03/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fiedler's recording of Gaite Parisienne was made in 1954 and must have been state-of-the-art technically. It's a stunner even by today's standards. A slight edge to the trumpet and percussion give the music a compelling French flavor. Fiedler's fast tempi emphasize the music's high spirits. Indeed, the hijinx tend to be a bit unrelenting and one might have welcomed more polish and relaxation for contrast. The Waltzes and the famous Barcarolle, however, are all warmly characterized. The Respighi selection is a worthy coupling, a performance that is sophisticated yet fizzes. This is a reissue not just for nostalgia buffs but audiophiles and music lovers as well."