We're throwing this LP under the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra even though it's not the CPO playing on this - it's the Boston Pops, under conductor Arthur Fiedler. Looks like this was a promo piece for the CPO where they repackaged a Boston Pops LP, adding a tenuous connection to the recorded material on the liner notes and driving some poor kid with a bad haircut out to the foothills for a photo op. [i]From the back cover:[/i] The Calgary Philharmonic Society had an idea: to create a Variety Album containing samplings of highly appealing classics, to select music that would, in particular, delight the ears and hearts of the people of Alberta; to arouse the interest of non-classical music buffs in this province; to win these people over to the ranks of symphony enthusiasts; to inspire a genuine desire for concert-going. The idea was splendid. And so was the man chosen to do the job. Arthur Fiedler is the favorite guest conductor in the history of the Calgary Philharmonic. Under his baton the orchestra has enjoyed enormously enthusiastic audiences. The rapport between Maestro Fiedler and the people of Calgary is very special indeed. The quality of selections and the calibre of performance in a Fiedler Concert verify the exceptional communication and understanding between the conductor, his musicians and the Alberta audience. The range in this album extends from ever popular melodies to lesser known movements. And while the mood is generally light and lyrical, there are serious and dramatic selections as well. The gamut runs from Strauss's Roses from the South to Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King... from Prokofieff's Love for Three Oranges to Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Little Swans. The combination is irresistibly appealing, the presentation thrilling and the listening pure pleasure from beginning to end. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra which Fielder has conducted on five occasions dates back to 1910 in one form or another with the exception of a break caused by the First World War. Since 1928 the city has had a continuous symphony season. The ten regular concerts established in 1955 became double concerts in 1968. With the engagement of Maurice Handford as Principal Conductor and Musical Director in 1970 the orchestra's growth has been explosive. Now the fastest growing orchestra in Western Canada, the Calgary Philharmonic has more than doubled its concert activities in two years. Notable achievements have been the formation of a 180-voice Philharmonic Chorus and the introduction of Pops, Gala and Chamber series in addition to the double-concert Main Series. During 1971, the Calgary Philharmonic received national recognition in the Financial Post when Arnold Edinborough wrote, "What Handford has done with the Philharmonic in two years is quite remarkable. From a semi-professional orchestra, he has created an almost entirely professional orchestra, with the same kind of verve and elan that Mario Bernardi has stimulated at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa."
