Customer Reviews

Pops Christmas Party

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Boston Pops have always made orchestral music more appealing to a wider audience, and Arthur Fiedler was the genius behind that success.

Released in 1959, this album is full of everything from traditional selections from "The Nutcracker" to sing-along favorites like "White Christmas," "Rudolph" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" to the most famous recorded version of "Sleigh Ride," a Boston Pops classic.

This is the kind of CD you listen to while drinking egg nog beside a fireplace with family as you watch the snow fall in the early evening. My Grandparents had a copy of the original vinyl releae and I was so glad to see BMG release the original RCA/Victor "Living Stereo" edition complete with full liner notes and the original cover art.

The perfect album for your next holiday cocktail party appealing to classical and pop music fans alike.

For the people of Boston, Christmas music is synonymous with the Boston Pops, and its legendary conductor Arthur Fiedler. This compilation contains Pops classis arrangements including Leroy Anderson's medley of Christmas carols "A Christmas Festival. It also includes the Pops rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and the authentic rendition of Anderson's "Sleigh Ride." It also includes Fiedler's interpretations of excerpts from THE NUTCRACKER, HANSEL AND GRETEL, and Leopold Mozart's "Sleigh Ride."

This is a re-release of an RCA Living Stereo recording. The collection has a nostalgic feel to it, and the cover, from an earlier Boston Pops recording, adds to the magic of this collection.

I don't remember why I got this CD, but this is great! I've looked and looked, and this really is one of the best Christmas CD's to own. The selections are all instrumental, ranging from classical Christmas to more modern Christmas music such as 'Sleigh Ride' and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. The sound is crisp and clear, and the total running time of 72:37 neatly fills the CD. The latter section of the linear notes describe "The History of Living Stereo", which has been proceeded by notes telling various other things related to the album. Well worth the effort you put into looking for this copy. A great addition to your collection, seansonal, orchestral, Christmas Collections or favorites.

Currently there are 4 RCA titles available featuring vintage Christmas recordings of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops recorded back in the 1950s. This title plus the RCA Goldseal A Christmas Festival, the RCA 60+ Classic series Christmas at the Pops (RCA Greatest Hits) (which oddly, features two tracks by the Canadian Brass and one by James Galway) and last and most definitely least Christmas Favorites which should be avoided as it only includes 10 selections and clocks in at just over 30 minutes. Which of the remaining three to get really comes down to a matter of preference yet at least one of these discs should be in the collection of any serious fan of Christmas music.

First off all three discs contain the following 9 selections/recordings:
A Christmas Festival, Hansel and Gretel/Dream Pantomime, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, The Nutcracker/Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, The Toy Trumpet, White Christmas, and Winter Wonderland.

"Pops Christmas Party" and "Christmas Festival" also contain the Sleigh Rides of both Leroy Anderson and Mozart. The fact that "Christmas at the Pops" does not include Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" just about removes that recording from serious consideration when narrowing down your choice and the three non-Fiedler/Boston Pops tracks also reduce its appeal, so I'll focus on "Pops Christmas Party" and "Christmas Festival" as the two to chose from. (Feel free to check out the "Christmas at the Pops" selections if you desire, but apart from the the Canadian Brass and James Galway tracks you will find it simply duplicates the tracks found on these two releases.)

The remainder of "Pops Christmas Party" is dedicated to an additional ten selections from Tchaikovsky's delightful "Nutcracker": the Overture, Spanish Dance, Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance, Trepak (Russian Dance), Dance of the Flutes, Mother Gigogne & the Clowns, Waltz of the Flowers, Pas de deux, and the Final Waltz. And no, I've no idea why the recording includes all the items from the Suite (and then some) except for the famous "March". I particularly enjoy the sequencing on the CD and how the Nutcracker selections are mixed in with the other selections. It's 72:37 minutes of Christmas pops at its best and the Living Stereo sound is warm and rich. The Living Stereo recording also features five pages of commentary including the original 1959 liner notes, a brief biography on Fiedler, and a history of RCA's "Living Stereo" series from its 1954 origins right up to the process used to prepare the recordings for release on CD. It's a bargain at this price!

In addition to the eleven shared selections, "Christmas Festival" contains the following six selections: The Little Drummer Boy, Greensleeves (What Child Is This?), Carol of the Bells, Babes in Toyland/March of the Toys, Medley: Here We Come A-Caroling/O Christmas Tree/I Saw Three Ships, and Silent Night. The total running time is just about 64, the sonics are just as impressive at the Living Stereo recording and it is also a bargain.

I own both and considering Amazon has each for just $7.99 it may well be worth your while to pick up both selections. If you're going to go with just one, I'd give the nod to the Living Stereo "Pops Christmas Party".

Boston Pops + Arthur Fiedler = hmmm... I've known that to be a formula for a sizzling performance. How vibrant, how full of verve the performance on the Gershwin CD! (Remember: Rhapsody in Blue, Concerto in F, etc.) So I figured a "Pops Christmas Party" would also be good for "popping."

And the CD does open on a festive note. Now with joy, now with marvel, the opening Christmas Festival presents a medley of such mainstays as: Deck the Halls; God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen; Good King Wencelas; and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. And there are other keepsake tracks on this CD, beautiful ones: White Christmas, or Winter Wonderland.... Aaah! Put another log in the fireplace, will you? But don't let the "Wooden Soldiers" catch on fire as they "Parade" on by, amusing as that piece is! (And some bravura virtuoso playing is done here.)

But the CD also has less enjoyable features in terms of selection as well as performance: Do you really want Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite on a Boston Pops (!) Christmas CD, including four tracks that are not usually part of that suite, while another one that is usually included is missing here? Tchaikovsky had good judgment selecting the pieces he did for his opus 71a. Moreover, the rendition here does reveal imperfections in the Pops' ensemble playing. Apparently they weren't as well rehearsed for this as they would be otherwise.

And what on earth is the Dream Pantomime from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel doing on a Christmas-themed compilation? My guess is that someone spotted the mention of "gingerbread children" in Hansel and Gretel but didn't probe further for the context. Not the wisest choice, in my opinion. And the rendition--well, I don't find that piece too creative to begin with (it keeps revolving around the same Leitmotif), and here it drags on for a tiresome 9:40 minutes. Just plain boring.

What should also be mentioned is the two "Sleigh Rides" included here: (1) the popular one by M. Parish and L. Anderson, performed in a manner that is pleasant in an unremarkable way; and (2) one by W.A. Mozart (why is this billed as by Leopold Mozart?), which is in stark contrast to the rest of the compilation (even the Tchaikovsky) and seems more like a sleigh that goes in narrow circles before it eventually stalls.

So... I think what I'll do in future Holiday seasons is pick just the following tracks for my iTunes library: 1; 3-6; 10; 19; and 21. That's 8 tracks--out of 21. I'll be nice and factor in the decently fun cover design for my final star verdict...

First let me say that I was overjoyed to see that the original Vinyl album artwork was kept . This is an expertly recorded CD being it was recorded in the late 50's. The sound quality rivals any today. Authur Fiedler did an outstanding job with the arrangments on this recording.

This is a great album for the Christmas season from Leroy Anderson's arrangement of a Christmas Medley to selections from Nutcracker suite and White Christmas. Very good quality sound for it's day. Let's face it, Arthur Fiedler was the Boston Pops.

POPS CHRISTMAS PARTY, like Santa's bag of goodies, has a little bit of everything. You'll find traditional carols (Joy to the World, Deck the Halls, Silent Night, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, etc.), popular Christmas favorites (Sleigh Ride, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, White Christmas), and classical Christmas pieces (selections from `The Nutcracker,' `Hansel and Gretel,' etc.)

Whether you're listening while writing Christmas cards, trimming the tree, hosting a Christmas party, or any of a hundred holiday activities, POPS CHRISTMAS PARTY is a great way to bring you into the Christmas spirit.

TOTAL TIME 72:38

What more can I say but "Wonderful"?

The greatest orchestra (and conductor).

The incredible Leroy Anderson versions of "Christmas Festival" and "Sleigh Ride". (Wow the memories of playing these two every year in high school band. The director tried to introduce something new but we would have nothing to do with that!!!)

And finally music from my favorite record (and my first as a kid) "The Nutcracker".

The fact that these were recorded 40+ years ago doesn't detract from the timeless appeal of these songs and the sound is terrific!

A must have for your Christmas music collection.