I was lucky to run across this set yesterday, in great condition, for all of one buck! I wanted to post it for my esteemed colleague Larry at Vinyl Fatigue. Previously, Larry had offered an early Handel organ concerto recording with Biggs and Fiedler with the "real" Arthur Fiedler Sinfonietta. Here, I have transferred the complete Op. 4 but not the fugues. The Op. 4 concertos fit conveniently on one cd.
I find it interesting that Fiedler did not reconnect with Biggs for another go around in Handel. Biggs, instead, went to London and recorded all the organ concertos with Boult. Perhaps it all had to do with Fiedler being an exclusive RCA artist and Biggs a Columbia one. Whatever the reason, Fiedler does have a sensitive partner in longtime Princeton University organist Carl Weinrich, though I do think Biggs would've pulled out the stops a bit more in places.
For this 1967 recording, the orchestra used is credited as the Arthur Fiedler Sinfonietta but in fact it is no relation to the longtime ensemble that was Boston based and had fizzled out of existence some years prior to the recording. What we have here is a rather large chamber orchestra made up of New York musicians, presumably the usual cast of characters that performed as the RCA Victor Symphony, the RCA Italiana Orchestra...who know the deal. These are good players, responsive to Fiedler, but RCA should be ashamed for implying that the earlier Sinfonietta has a relationship to this one, assembled only for this recording and for one of the Mozart church sonatas.
Fiedler pined desperately to be taken serious as a conductor of "classics" and not just "pop" classical repertoire. Towards the end of his years, RCA, and later DGG, obliged him somewhat. Here we have the Handel, with the BSO he was able to realize his dream and conduct that orchestra in Dvorak's New World Symphony. Though the Pops was basically the BSO minus the prinicipals, actually conducting the "real" BSO was huge for Fiedler.
Back to Handel. Those expecting period performance will be disappointed here. Fiedler, and Weinrich were men educated in the first part of the 20th century and their understanding of Bach and Handel was grounded in 19th century traditions. Still, they are of one mind here and these works should be taken on their own terms and recognized for the excellence of the performers.
