VIA PRESS RELEASE | In his 50-year tenure as conductor of The Boston Pops, Arthur Fiedler transformed the Boston Symphony Orchestra offshoot into perhaps the most renowned pops orchestra in the world.
A natural showman, the maestro fervently believed in broadening the reach of classical music to a wide audience. He famously incorporated the music of The Beatles into his programs and began the tradition of the Pops concert and fireworks every July 4th on Boston’s Esplanade. Under his auspices, The Boston Pops made more recordings than any other orchestra in the world. Along with the Fourth, one holiday was closely associated with Fiedler and the Pops: Christmas!
The orchestra introduced Leroy Anderson’s now-classic “Sleigh Ride” in 1948, and the very next year recorded it for RCA Victor. That first-ever recording, shockingly never before issued on CD, opens Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records’ definitive celebration of Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops’ holiday recordings.
The Ultimate Pops Christmas Party! lives up to its title with 2 CDs and 35 tracks of yuletide cheer in the grand and lavish Boston Pops fashion. Spanning 1949-1971, The Ultimate Pops Christmas Party! includes two full albums: the original 1959 Pops Christmas Party in RCA’s Living Stereo splendor and 1969’s new-to-CD Christmastime in Carol and Song.
The latter found Fiedler away from Boston and conducting in New York with some very special guests: legendary soprano Leontyne Price and beloved pop duo Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. The Ultimate Pops Christmas Party! also features numerous festive rarities from various singles and albums over the years including such classics as the Pops’ original version of “The Christmas Festival,” “The Toy Trumpet” with Al Hirt, and highlights from Babes in Toyland and The Nutcracker Suite. The Second Disc’s Joe Marchese provides the new liner notes, and everything has been beautifully remastered by Andreas Meyer.
