Fennell conducts the music of Anderson & Coates

Fennell (Artist), Coates (Artist), Anderson (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 13, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000057N7
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,411 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. London Suite: 1. Covent Garden

2. London Suite: 2. Westminster

3. London Suite: 3. Knightsbridge

4. Four Ways Suite (excerpts): Northwards

5. Four Ways Suite (excerpts): Eastwards

6. Pirate Dance from

7. Suite of Carols (excerpts)

8. A Christmas Festival

9. Sandpaper Ballet

10. Forgotten Dreams

11. Trumpeter's Lullaby

12. Penny-Whistle Song

13. Bugler's Holiday

14. Irish Suite: 1. The Irish Washerwoman

15. Irish Suite: 2. The Minstrel Boy

16. Irish Suite: 3. The Rakes of Mallow

17. Irish Suite: 4. The Wearing of the Green

18. Irish Suite: 5. The Last Rose of Summer

19. Irish Suite: 6. The Girl I Left Behind

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, December 13, 2007

By 

George M (Long Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fennell conducts the music of Anderson & Coates (Audio CD)

Frederick Fennell and the Eastman-Rochester Pops recorded the music of Leroy Anderson on two vinyl albums (Vols. 1 & 2) in the late 1950s. It was these two albums that made me a lifelong fan of Leroy Anderson's music, and they are still my favorites today. When the vinyl LPs were originally released, the music of Eric Coates was not included.

The audio quality of the original Mercury Living Presence recordings was state-of-the-art in the late 50s, and I think anyone who listens to this CD as well as its companion (Frederick Fennell conducts the music of Leroy Anderson) will agree that the work has stood the test of time. As far as the quality of the arrangements and the musicians is concerned, one listen to "Bugler's Holiday" should tell you all you need to know. For anyone who loves Leroy Anderson's work as much as I do, this CD and its companion are must-have items.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, George, these are a treasure, April 2, 2011

By 

Bert Dulong (Redding, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fennell conducts the music of Anderson & Coates (Audio CD)

I have to echo everything George M says about the Eastman Rochester Pops recordings of Leroy Anderson under Frederick Fennell. I actually grew up in Rochester and in third grade I used to go down to the school library and listen to a cassette made of the original LP release. (Hard to believe these recordings have tripled in age since then!) I believe my deep appreciation for music is rooted in these recordings.

In the late 70's I found the re-released LP with a gorgeous new cover, and in college bought the cassette. Both have been unplayable for years, so I was delighted to finally realize that the 2nd half of this CD (cuts 9-19) represent nearly all of the selections from my childhood. (The other two from the October 1956 recording session are cuts 13 & 14 on the companion Mercury Living Presence "Frederick Fennell Conducts the Music of Leroy Anderson", with the pig on the cover. For those keeping score at home, cut 14 goes 3rd and cut 13 goes 6th in the original lineup.)

The original compositions are a fabulous showcase for instrumentation. The conductor's rendering of them is brilliant, the cohesion of the orchestra is amazing (tempo, dynamics, blending), and the mastery in the actual recording leaves us with ear candy that surpasses any other recording I've heard. (Listen for the precision of the xylophone in the quick-step section of "the Girl I Left Behind Me" in the Irish suite, for example.)Music of Leroy Anderson