Conductor remembered as a master of his craft

If Arthur Fiedler was the grandfather of pops, then Erich Kunzel certainly was its father.

In his half century as the conductor of the Boston Pops, Fiedler set the standard for entertainment music.

Kunzel went ahead and raised the bar.

As the first conductor — and de facto founder — of what became the Cincinnati Pops, Kunzel led the ensemble for 44 years and made it one of the premiere pops orchestras in the country.

Sadly, that chapter in American music came to an end when Kunzel passed away Sept. 1 at the age of 74 at his summer residence in Maine.

Diagnosed with pancreatic, colon and liver cancer last April, Kunzel didn't let that stop him. He went on conducting his beloved orchestra even while undergoing treatment. He made his final public appearance conducting the second half of the Cincinnati Pops' concert at Riverbend Music Center on Aug. 1. He was bound and determined to make his final curtain call on his own terms.

Kunzel left behind many friends, not only among the thousands of fans who attended his concerts or bought any of his more than 125 recordings with the Cincinnati Pops, but also among the hundreds of performers from around the country who had the privilege of working with him.

Among the latter is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Kunzel conducted the choir several times, most recently in Cincinnati this past summer during the choir's United States tour.

And last year, Kunzel was in Salt Lake City to conduct the choir and the Utah Symphony for the Tanner Gift of Music series in the LDS Conference Center — in, what else, an evening of pops.

It was a wonderfully entertaining concert that also featured vocalists Denyce Graves and Brian Stokes Mitchell. I was there to review the concert, and throughout the evening I couldn't help but smile, because it was so rewarding and edifying seeing a master at his craft.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kunzel last year for this concert. He was at his home in Maine, and it was one of the most pleasurable and fun interviews I've ever had.

Of the hundreds of musicians I've interviewed over the years, I'll always remember the 40 minutes or so I spent on the phone with Kunzel. He was so outgoing and friendly, and he had a great sense of humor. He had me laughing right from the start. And it really wasn't an interview. It was more like a conversation. It was like reconnecting with an old friend. And that's how I will always remember him — a dear old friend who enjoyed reminiscing and telling a good story.

It was these same qualities that made Kunzel unique as a conductor. He had the uncanny ability to make pops concerts intimate as he reached out to his audiences and touched them with his gregarious and good-natured personality. He loved his job, and I think he had as much fun on the podium as his audiences had in the hall. Music was his life, and he made the most of it.

He will be missed.

e-mail: ereichel@desnews.com