Holst - The Planets [Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal]

I seem to be playing this work quite a bit recently, this is the first disc of this work i bought, way back in 1999, and so this is the sort of benchmark i've judged all the other Planets discs on, this version is highly rated, though i must admit it's recorded a tad quiet, appeared in my Blog three years ago [16th April 2012].

Charles Dutoit is Swiss, he's now 78, and this was recorded in 1986, i don't think the front cover is any great shakes, but the music on the inside is great.

On this listening i was most impressed by Mars / Jupiter / Uranus, and this time i felt that Jupiter was the best, it's full of really good tunes, very British, there's a nationalistic flavour to the main tune in the middle, here's my synopsis,
4 Jupiter / The Bringer Of Jollity [8:01] - Jollity?, i guess a sort of jovial mirth, fun if you like, though Holst's choice of word is strange, though in the middle section there's a real sense of contentment!, straight away there's no real intro, right into the celebrations, there's lots of trumpet / brass here [0:33+], busy woodwinds, Holst uses the horns a lot [1:00-1:11], and i love the way Holst brings in the glockenspiel [1:11+], and the flutes [1:26+], the music gets faster and builds up to something, but then comes to a sort of quiet stop, i like the way low twanging strings make a real effect here [2:45-3:02], and then comes the majestic two minute middle section [3:04-5:02], full of swooning strings and noble horns, Holst slowly builds this up to something truly passionate [4:13+], and then in a spirit of grandeur takes it to an apotheosis [4:36+], sounding like some Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March, the opening comes back, and Holst draws all the themes / ideas together, and a nice flourish to end it all off with. 

Here's Andrew Manze conducting Jupiter on YouTube.

Holst - The Planets [Ozawa-Boston Symphony Orchestra]

I've listened to this work a lot, even though i haven't got a lot of recordings of it, this is my third recording, and this is its maiden voyage, i sort of grew up with the Planets, even before i properly got into Classical music, there always seemed to be a vinyl LP of the Planets hanging around, i used to love Saturn the best [Holst's favourite], so it was good to try a different version, and get a different perspective.

Seiji Ozawa is Japanese, he is now 79, a long and distinguished recording career, he spent a lot of time at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and he recorded this back in 1979, this disc is a re-issue on the Philips 'Insignia' series, a wonderful bunch of discs, this one shows a lovely portrait of Ozawa [by Christian Steiner], very black & white, apart from the face, and the pink box with the lettering, nicely laid out.

It was Jupiter and Uranus i enjoyed the most, i must admit on this first listen, i found Ozawa a little low key, Mars should be menacing, and was a little on the tame side, Uranus needs to be ostentatious, a little too refined for my taste, but still the whole thing was colourful enough, maybe i need to listen to the whole thing at a louder volume, so here's my thoughts on Uranus,
6 Uranus / The Magician [5:41] - A piece with lots of brass and percussion, it's all over the place, stops and starts, all sorts of ideas coming in from nowhere, a real jumble at times, and yet wholly Holstian, it certainly has a similarity to Dukas's The Sorcerers Apprentice, another piece on the theme of Magic, i love the use of the xylophone [0:38-0:54], Holst nearly breaks into brass band music [1:24-1:45], reminiscent of his Hammersmith Overture, and then he breaks into a march [2:29+], using the timpani expertly, the whole thing comes to a head, and it explodes into a cacophony of sound [3:36+], with the xylophone again at the forefront of the riot, surprisingly the whole thing comes to a sudden 'end' [4:10], but it's a false ending, the sad strings and twanging harp are interrupted by the bassoon, and the rest of the mob come in again [4:44+], and then there's this desolate peace, but then it does have this dead ending of a couple of dull thuds [5:33 & 5:35], a strange piece indeed, but then there's Neptune...

Here's Mackerras conducting Uranus on YouTube.

Holst - The Planets [Dutoit-Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal] 

I can't believe this is the very first entry for Holst in my Blog!, the Planets Suite were one of the very first things i seriously listened to in my Fathers LP vinyl collection, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were my favourites, i must have been about 13, and it made an impression on me, and served as an introduction of sorts to full blown Classical music, i can see why The Planets are so popular, it has all the ingredients for success, and is a great starting point for a beginner, and yet on the other hand, deep Classical enthusiasts can wallow in the beauties too, it's not kids stuff like Peter and the Wolf, its strengths are, 1 Length - Seven short bite-sized pieces, unlike a Symphony, it's a Suite, you can listen to one of two or the whole lot, in any order you like, the 'whole' really doesn't matter here, 2 Variety - Holst seems to look at the seven diametrically opposite corners of the Classical spectrum, like a box of chocolates, there's something for everyone, 3 Programme - These aren't just seven nameless orchestral statements, each planet has a character, and that's fully brought out in the music, there's a sort of visual story behind each, and 4 Complex / Simple - Each piece can be enjoyed by beginners who have no Classical music education and experience, or at the other extreme, there's complexities to thrill the most deep Classical professor.

Charles Dutoit is Swiss, he's now 75, he made this recoding in 1986, a celebrated version of the Planets, and highly regarded, this is my 'touchstone' version of the Planets, the one where i really got to know this music, and i judge every other version by this mark, the booklet cover is pleasing enough, but not very original.

All of these pieces sounded just fantastic in their own right, and i suppose i especially enjoyed Mars and surprisingly Mercury the most, Mercury is actually my least favourite Planet here, but, i enjoyed it so much, i got things out of it that i hadn't heard before, it seems the 'runt of the litter', but it's a fantastic piece, and deserves more scrutiny, 

Here's Charles Mackerras conducting Mercury at the Proms on YouTube.