Customer Reviews

Offenbach: Gaite Parisienne; Rossini-Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque

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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.

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.

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.

Jacques Offenbach is famous for composing the opera, The Tales of Hoffmann, and a string of enjoyable operettas. Gaite Parisienne is a ballet score created for the Monte Carlo Ballet Russe from a medley of hit tunes from Offenbach's works. The ballet is set in a Paris nightclub during the Second Empire and depicts a variety of characters flirting, dancing, and enjoying themselves.

The Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler get everything perfectly right. The precision, the timing, the sound are all beyond praise. From the fizzing can-can to the romantic waltz, it all comes together gorgeously. The recording is top-rate. I have loved this performance for decades in all its media.

Respighi created La Boutique Fantastique from an assemblage of Rossi melodies as a ballet for Diaghilev depicting a toy store filled with mechanical wonders.

Once again, the Boston Pops, led by Arthur Fiedler, do a great job.

This is a terrific CD to own.

They must have done something right with this recording. In fact, they did EVERYTHING right! The playing is tight with standouts in the woodwinds. Arthur Fiedler made his orchestra WORK! Dangerously fast speeds that boggle the mind handled like they were playing "The Star Spangled Banner" The sound is impeccable with every part (and there's a lot of non-traditional percussion) is heard. It is amply cued and has good documentation. It's pairing the suite from "La Boutique Fantastique" is just as memorable. By the way, did I mention these recordings were made in the late 1950s and have had the highest honor in the Penguin Guide for as long as I can remember. Don't look any further. Buy this one. You won't be sorry.

First of all, can anyone confirm that Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops recorded another stereo version of GAITE PARISIENNE around 1959? The performance heard here is lively and energetic, but it is not the same performance I had years ago on an Lp (filled out with four selections from GAYNE by Khachaturian.) I know about a much earlier mono recording, but it would seem strange that Fiedler would record GAITE a second time only a few years later.

At any rate this CD has been remastered with the care and attention to detail that BMG brought to all of the Living Stereo re-releases. The addition of LA BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE makes a welcome companion piece and listeners will recognize many segments in this suite, but the joyous Offenbach music is the real star here. Over the years, GAITE has been recorded many times, often abridged to fit one side of an Lp. Of the complete recordings, no one has ever matched Fiedler in terms of bright, crisp musical direction.

Lovely, charming music that is fast paced and delightful to hear. Hard not to be impressed with the way this CD presents these works. However, orchestration is the limiting factor that does not allow the full range and complement of instruments to express the pieces.