From the S&S archives
The Tops in Pop is the Fiedler
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TOKYO — If "Fiedler" could be found in a dictionary, it would have to be defined thus: "Versatile; a reservoir of energy; youthful; demanding and great."
At 73, the grand old man of symphonic pops, Arthur Fiedler, is all of this and much more. He's an institution, a household term.
He's one of America's most valuable traveling ambassadors.
This week, Fiedler, who has been everywhere, is here. He's training Tokyo's Yomiuri Symphony Orchestra to play his kind of music before taking them to the United Slates and Canada for an eight-week, 48-town concert tour.
Working with orchestras other than his famous Boston Pops is old hat for Fiedler. He normally tours several times a year as a guest conductor.
"But I'm going to start shortening the length of the tours," says Fiedler, who last year took an orchestra across the United States on a 12-week run. "It's very hard, you know. Sometimes we have to drive all night after playing a town."
Fiedler isn't quitting. He's not growing old in the normal sense. His mind is sharp, he's witty, quick and full of energy.
His secret of a long and youthful life? "Expend your energy. Burn it up and replace it with fresh energy."
At rehearsals and concerts, Fiedler is full of fire. He's demanding of musicians, can hear a sour note a mile away and always finds the guilty one.
Fiedler's last visit to Japan was in 1965 when he toured the country in a series of pop concerts with the Yomiuri Orchestra. He likes Japanese musicians, calls them talented and well disciplined.
Fiedler does not tolerate faulty playing. A common scene at rehearsal is a sharp rap of the baton followed with a loud "No, no, no!" He pulls no punches with the Japanese musicians, communicating with facial expressions that range from shear agony to pure joy. Playing for the Boston Pops conductor is a trying experience for an unaccomplished musician.
Fiedler graduated from Berlin's Royal Academy where he studied violin, viola, piano, celesta, organ, percussion and conducting. He rarely plays an instrument today.
Fiedler's tastes range front Bach to Beatles. He has recorded both with success. Fiedler frowns on "musical snobs" who confine their appreciation to one particular form. He thinks that all music is good except the boring kind.
