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Read on for our guide to The Planets<\/em>, the remarkable orchestral suite composed by Gustav Holst during World War One<\/a><\/strong>. We will look briefly at the work itself and its creation, and then recommend a stellar recording of each individual Planet.<\/p> When Gustav Holst<\/a><\/strong> combined his brilliant creative musical mind with his keen interest in astrology, the result would become one of the best loved orchestral works of all time.<\/p> ‘As a rule I only study things that suggest music to me,’ Gustav Holst once said about his interest in astrology. That was true enough, but Holst’s claim does less than justice to the depth in which he studied the subject – in fact, it was through those studies that Holst finally overcame his sense of failure as a composer.<\/p> By 1913 he had composed several works now recognised as among his most significant, including two major operas – the epic Sita <\/em>(1899-1906) and the chamber opera Savitri <\/em>(1908-09) – the oriental suite Beni Mora <\/em>(1912) and his ambitious choral work The Cloud Messenger <\/em>(1913), yet all of these had either failed to reach performance, or had been given disastrous or indifferently received premieres.<\/p> Encouraged by the writer and fellow astrologer Clifford Bax (brother of composer Arnold Bax<\/a><\/strong>), Holst soon acquired texts ranging from the English astrologer Raphael (1795-1832) to the contemporary Alan Leo.<\/p> Although The Planets<\/em>, composed 1914-16, opened new avenues in Holst’s treatment of tonality and structure, it did not represent an entirely new chapter in his creativity. Rather, it crystallised much of his thinking, both in terms of musical potential and in his understanding of the human condition.<\/p> Looking at The Planets <\/em>through the context of what he had previously composed, and what came after, helps us to understand not only one of the most loved works in the modern orchestral repertoire, but also the extraordinary creative mind behind it. Join us now on this journey, as we visit each planet in turn, and recommend their finest recordings…<\/p> <\/p> Philharmonia Orchestra\/Simon Rattle EMI 575 8672<\/em><\/p> As ‘The bringer of war’, Mars needs to be brash, brutal and unsettling. Rattle and the Philharmonia, in their 1987 recording, deliver in spades.<\/p> You can buy this as a separate recording of Mars from Amazon <\/a>or as part of Philharmonia Orchestra’s whole recording of Holst’s, The Planets<\/a><\/strong><\/p>Holst The Planets<\/em>: a quick guide<\/strong><\/h2>
Best recording of each of The Planets<\/em> by Holst<\/strong><\/h2>
Mars<\/strong><\/h3>