Track Listing

1. The Planets, Op. 32: Mars, The Bringer Of War
2. The Planets, Op. 32: Venus, The Bringer Of Peace
3. The Planets, Op. 32: Mercury, The Winged Messenger
4. The Planets, Op. 32: Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity
5. The Planets, Op. 32: Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age
6. The Planets, Op. 32: Uranus, The Magician
7. The Planets, Op. 32: Neptune, The Mystic

Product Details

• Released on: 1990-01-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .19 pounds
• Running time: 49 minutes

Customer Reviews

Take a mystical astral tour with Holst's The Planets
Gustav Holst's "The Planets" (Op. 32) is a seven-movement symphonic poem which describes the "personalities" of most of our celestial neighbors in the solar system. Had Pluto been discovered when Holst was composing this wonderful piece in the early 20th Century, there might have been an eighth movement (perhaps called "The Guardian of the Dead"), but the ninth planet was not discovered until 1930, 12 years after its first rehearsal. No matter. One missing planet doesn't take away from the breathtaking wonder of this very powerful composition.

Holst is not literally describing each planet's physical features, for at the turn of the 20th Century there were no Voyager or Viking probes to send back images from which the composer could derive some inspiration, although I would like to think that some NASA engineer was listening to this music while driving to and from the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena as one of our mechanical explorers was making its lonely sojourn across the vast and cold expanses of space. No, Holst was going for the planets as astral metaphors, giving each movement a descriptive title ("Mars, the Bringer of War," for instance) and a particular musical "mood" that is totally unconnected to the others.

James Levine (best known as the Metropolitan Opera's music director) leads the magnificent Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus into a mystical musical tour of the heavens, starting with the belligerent allegro "Mars, the Bringer of War." This movement starts with very tense and brooding music that becomes very martial, almost as if Holst had composed it for the score of a great silent epic depicting the then-ongoing Great War. It is a very "modern" piece, with very militaristic tempos that convey discord and strife. It even sounds like a precursor to John Williams' "The Imperial Attack" cue from his score to Star Wars: A New Hope. (If you play the last minute or so of the allegro, then listen to any recording of "The Imperial Attack," you will notice the similarity.)

In sharp contrast to the first movement, Venus, the Bringer of Peace" is a gentle and reflective piece, with lush strings and restrained tones suggesting astral tranquility.

My favorite movement is "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity," with its lively introduction and bright motifs that lead into a "hope and glory" theme which conveys grandeur and pomp, as if composed for a coronation or royal wedding. Holst uses various tempos and variations on themes, building on each musical construct until reaching a triumphal orchestral climax. (Listeners of the old WTMI 93.1 FM classical station in South Florida will recognize the opening bars of "Jupiter" as the musical intro to the news updates in the morning and afternoon.)

Levine and the Chicago Symphony and Chorus perform this multifaceted work brilliantly in this 1990 Deutsche Gramophon recording, and Holst's magnificent mix of orchestral moods takes the listener on an aural equivalent of a Grand Tour of the heavens.

Underrated
For some incomprehensible reason, this is not singled out as a great performance in most classical music guides, but I think it is. Overall, the tempi feel right and the power of the playing and the quality of the recording are superlative. Of more recent vintage recordings, it is much more exciting than Dutoit and less clinical and calculated than Gardiner. To those looking for a good budget priced recording, I would recommend Lloyd-Jones' performance on Naxos.

The best!
This is it, this is the best recording of "The Planets" available on CD. There is no equal. The performance of the Chicago Symphony (all sections), the subtlety of Levine's conducting, the amazing variations in style, texture and dynamics, and the chemistry of this orchestra and conductor make this the platinum standard of all Holst recordings.