Gustav Holst: The Planets Suite

[fergus]

Introduction:

Welcome to the world of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”. This might seem an odd choice for one whose sound world is firmly rooted in the Baroque but I really think that this is a remarkable work which is full of invention and ingenuity. The orchestration is very novel and bold for its time and the orchestral textures and sonorities that Holst achieved are, I believe, on a par with those achieved by Berlioz and his revolution of the orchestral world. I think that it is a vastly under-rated work which is probably one of those works which suffers from the belief that everyone thinks that they know it despite the fact that they probably have never really listened to it.

I hope that you find some pointers to the rich orchestral palette and an appreciation of this novel and wonderful work in the following notes which I have gleaned from various sources of the internet and from various liner notes, both of which are interspersed with personal comment. I think that it is a work that offers many aural rewards with just a small amount of work on behalf of the listener.

Naturally, all comments, contributions, suggestions and recommendations are most welcome. Above all I hope that you enjoy the project and particularly the music.

[bombasticDarren]

What recordings can you recommend Fergus?

[fergus]

Background:

During the period around 1910, Holst was apparently going through a difficult time. His first large scale work, an opera called Sita failed to win a cash prize at a Ricordi composition competition and his other large works of the time, notably The Cloud Messenger and Beni Mora were premiered without great success. In March of 1913, the impoverished Holst received an anonymous gift which enabled him to travel to Spain with Clifford Bax, the brother of the composer Arnold Bax (and later the librettist for Holst's opera The Wandering Scholar). Clifford Bax was an astrologer, and he and Holst became good friends, with Bax introducing him to the concepts of astrology.
Astrology fit right in with Holst's way of thinking. Holst had long maintained an interest in ancient cultures, undertaking a study of Sanskrit in order to faithfully set his Choral Hymns of the Rig Veda. On one level “futuristic,” The Planets was also an opportunity for the composer to delve into the ancient science of astrology. This was, after all, an era teeming with interest in the mystic, primal, and archaic spirit, exemplified by Scriabin’s Prometheus and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and the art of Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee, among others.

Holst had a lifelong interest in mysticism, even basing some of his music on Eastern metaphysical ideas. Perhaps due to this friendship, Holst began to rediscover his childhood intrigue with theosophy. He had a book in his library called, "The Art of Synthesis," by Alan Leo. Leo was himself an astrologer and Theosophist who published various books on astrology, however if you look at "The Art of Synthesis," each chapter is labelled with a heading, offering a precursor to how The Planets was constructed. Alan Leo divided his book into chapters based on each planet, and described the astrological characteristics of them. In fact, "Neptune, the Mystic," is given the same title in both the book and the suite! Holst may have been introduced to Leo by George Mead, a Sanskrit scholar and a fellow member, along with Holst, of the Royal Asiatic Society. Mead and Leo were friends.

The result of this encounter was a "series of mood pictures" written between 1914 and 1916 which became known as The Planets Suite. The seven movements each portray the astrological traits of the seven known planets at the time, in order of distance from the Earth. Pluto was discovered in 1930, well after The Planets was written, and so does not appear in Holst's work.

[fergus]

What recordings can you recommend Fergus?

I have a number in my collection Darren and I will list them soon with a brief summary of each.

[Jared]

Pluto was discovered in 1930, well after The Planets was written, and so does not appear in Holst's work.

Thank you, Fergus... I remember reading that Holst (who died in 1934, the same year as Delius & Elgar) was actually approached to add a Suite for Pluto onto the Planets, and he refused, because he felt that, even then, the Planets had become too popular, to the detriment of some of his other works which he felt to be as good, if not better. Of course, time has proved him right, since it's downgrading a few years ago, back to star-status.

[Jose Echenique]

Pluto was discovered in 1930, well after The Planets was written, and so does not appear in Holst's work.

Thank you, Fergus... I remember reading that Holst (who died in 1934, the same year as Delius & Elgar) was actually approached to add a Suite for Pluto onto the Planets, and he refused, because he felt that, even then, the Planets had become too popular, to the detriment of some of his other works which he felt to be as good, if not better. Of course, time has proved him right, since it's downgrading a few years ago, back to star-status.

When you write such a good tune as the one featured in "Jupiter" it is only natural that it`s going to eclipse all your other works. It happened the same to Mascagni with Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggiero Leoncavallo with I Pagliacci. Both of them composed other operas, but the public´s verdict was that Cav/Pag was their ticket to immortality.
And though I have heard many other Holst compositions, many actually very good, it has to be admitted that The Planets is his masterpiece. It is interesting to note that Karajan made 2 recordings of the suite, the first with the Vienna Philharmonic and the second with the Berlin Philharmonic, notable because he never recorded a note of Elgar, Walton or Vaughan Williams, so he must have really loved the work.

I love all of the several Adrian Boult´s recordings (he conducted the premier), but his 70´s LPO EMI recording has the better sound of course. I especially love the 1972 Bernard Haitink/LPO on PHILIPS. The LPO was in it´s finest form ever, and the PHILIPS sound was spectacular at the time (the cd transfer lost some of original sheen and polish). For a digital recording the Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony in TELDEC has gorgeous sonics and a warm, positive performance. The Gardiner with the Philharmonia is also very good and it has Percy Grainger´s The Warriors as a fill up. I just recently heard that live for the first time in my life in Boston. I have many other recordings: Dutoit, Solti, etc., but I´m always happy to return to the Boult and the Haitink.

[Ciaran]

Karajan ... never recorded a note of Elgar, Walton or Vaughan Williams

Quite right too! There was a funny story in International Record Review a few months ago from a recording engineer who remembered working with André Previn on a recording of Elgar with an overture (Cockaigne?) as a fill-up. When he was told that there was a problem with the overture and that a retake would be necessary, he refused and said it was impossible. Asked why, he said "Because I'm not making them play that f**king thing again!"

[bombasticDarren]

Karajan ... never recorded a note of Elgar, Walton or Vaughan Williams

Just a gentle reminder...

;-)

[Ciaran]

Herbie, how could you? I'm so disappointed!

[fergus]

Karajan ... never recorded a note of Elgar, Walton or Vaughan Williams

Just a gentle reminder...

;-)

Good find Darren LOL!!!