Holst's The Planets

[Peter Power Pop]

Oh, I only meant that you shouldn't let that stop you from starting (and possibly finishing) with one Sibelius work.

Oh yeah. I forgot about the Sibelius Third Symphony. (I know, I know: we were taking about it intently just a little while ago. Oops.)

[Peter Power Pop]

Back to The Planets.

A visitor to my blog reminded me that I forgot to mention Andrew Davis's 1986 Toronto recording using children's voices instead of women's in "Neptune".

I've amended the post accordingly:

https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/davis-a-1986/

[kishnevi]

Thanks to your hard work, I got the Dutoit.  Listened to it Sunday night.
Is good.  Not being a planetophile, it will definitely meet all my Planets needs.
So thanks again.

[Peter Power Pop]

Thanks to your hard work, I got the Dutoit.  Listened to it Sunday night.
Is good.  Not being a planetophile, it will definitely meet all my Planets needs.
So thanks again.

A-OK, Jeffo*.

I reckon the Dutoit Planets will give you the best bang for your buck. It's tremendous.

(*If you thoroughly despise being called "Jeffo", many apologies Jeffster.)

[kishnevi]

A-OK, Jeffo*.

I reckon the Dutoit Planets will give you the best bang for your buck. It's tremendous.

(*If you thoroughly despise being called "Jeffo", many apologies Jeffster.)

Call me anything you want.
Just don't call me late for dinner.

[Peter Power Pop]

Call me anything you want.
Just don't call me late for dinner.

Thanks, The Jeffmeister.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks to your hard work, I got the Dutoit.  Listened to it Sunday night.
Is good.  Not being a planetophile, it will definitely meet all my Planets needs.

(* wonders if snypsss may one day go on a Planets jag .... *)

[Christo]

BTW, PPP's terrific job, listing all 80 Planets and reviewing them in a way that many here found very stimulating - something about humour - shouldn't disappear out of sight.
Here's is his labour of love once again, complete with his (almost) final verdict:

https://petersplanets.wordpress.com

[André]

BTW, PPP's terrific job, listing all 80 Planets and reviewing them in a way that many here found very stimulating - something about humour - shouldn't disappear out of sight.
Here's is his labour of love once again, complete with his (almost) final verdict:

https://petersplanets.wordpress.com

THANKS INDEED !

The was quite a journey ! I just ordered the Ozawa Boston and Dutoit Montreal recordings (had the latter on vinyl, but never on cd). And currently attempting to buy the Mark Elder version.

[Peter Power Pop]

Back to the "What to review after The Planets" caper...

I'm wondering if I'm in over my head by choosing Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

Whilst gathering more Scheherazades to listen to, I came across this MusicWeb review of Yuri Temirkanov's 2011 recording of the work. The reviewer (Paul Corfield Godfrey) said this:

"...there are 137 versions currently listed on Archiv [ArkivMusic]."

He's right.¹

Egad!²

Does everyone here still want me to pester Scheherazade? And maybe trim it down to a more manageable 100? Or 50? Or try something else?


(¹It's actually 136 at the moment, but I ain't quibbling.)

(²Sorry about swearing there.)

[Pat B]

I'm wondering if I'm in over my head by choosing Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.
...
Does everyone here still want me to pester Scheherazade? And maybe trim it down to a more manageable 100? Or 50? Or try something else?

From what I read of your Planets exploration, I suspect you'll have trouble trimming the list.

I think the most important thing is for you to do something that you will enjoy.

[Peter Power Pop]

From what I read of your Planets exploration, I suspect you'll have trouble trimming the list.

Yep. With some pieces of music (e.g., pieces I'm going to review) I'm a completist.

I think the most important thing is for you to do something that you will enjoy.

I like Scheherazade, but I don't know if I'm going to like spending a few months listening to nothing but that a few hundred times.

I currently have 45 of them on the hard drive, and from the bits of some of those Scheherazades I've heard, I must admit that I'm having trouble telling them apart. They all sound good to me. Are there any bad Scheherazades? Because at the moment, they're probably all going to be number one in the list.

Hmm. I wonder how many Enigma Variations are there?*

(*Answer: According to ArkivMusic, 118. Aargh!)

[Sergeant Rock]

Hmm. I wonder how many Enigma Variations are there?*

(*Answer: According to ArkivMusic, 118. Aargh!)

I suggest you tackle Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony. That's doable 

Sarge

[NJ Joe]

How about Pictures At An Exhibition, Ravel's Orchestration?

[Peter Power Pop]

How about Pictures At An Exhibition, Ravel's Orchestration?

Yes!

I love the Mussorgsky/Ravel tag team Pictures at an Exhibition. If I reviewed what's available I could even sneak in Vladimir Ashkenazy's orchestration* too.

Now all I have to do is find out how many versions of the Ravel orchestration of Pictures there are at ArkivMusic, and...

134.

Gah!

The optimist in me is thinking a lot of those recordings will be multiple releases of the same recordings. Hang on...

Yep. There are quite a few re-releases in there:

Giulini	10
Markevitch	10
Karajan	8
Rattle	6
Reiner	5
Gergiev	4
Ormandy	4
Toscanini	4
Dutoit	3

And 16 doubles.

I'll whip out my calculator and see what's what.

1. Those multiples add up to 86.
2. 134-86=48.
3. Of those multiples, there are 25 conductors.
4. 48+25=73.

I can cope with 73.


(*I was going to call it "Vladimir Ashkenazy's possibly unnecessary orchestration", but I guess Vlad felt the need. So for one person at least, it was necessary.)

[Peter Power Pop]

I suggest you tackle Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony. That's doable 

Sarge

It sure is. ArkivMusic lists four recordings. He he.

But I've never heard it. Is it worth hearing?

Actually, I can probably answer that question myself. (In my best Adam West Batman voice) To the YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/v/EqnzwjirXLc

I'm listening to it now.

Well, that's... it's... well, it's something.

I've made it to the five-minute mark. So far, it sounds like every Romantic symphony ever composed. Do I want spend two hours listening to this?

[Christo]

I've made it to the five-minute mark. So far, it sounds like every Romantic symphony ever composed. Do I want spend two hours listening to this?

Of course you will. The second movement is alreay tremendous and the third never less than astounding. And then comes the most towerlike Te Deum you'll ever hear, for a full hour. But as to the three orchestral movements: try the Lento and the Vivace and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the orchestral writing. 

[Peter Power Pop]

Of course you will. The second movement is already tremendous and the third never less than astounding. And then comes the most towerlike Te Deum you'll ever hear, for a full hour. But as to the three orchestral movements: try the Lento and the Vivace and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the orchestral writing. 

A Te Deum, for an hour, inside a symphony? Young Mr. Brian certainly didn't hold back. ("The fools! I'll show them all! I'll create the largest symphony ever known to mankind! And it will be unplayable. Do you hear me? Unplayable! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...")

I'll give it a go. Maybe I'll get past the five-minute mark next time. Now all I need is a spare two hours so I can hear it.

[André]

The closest I can think of to The Planets, meaning a works in multiple sections of multifarious colours and moods is Enigma. Maybe Le Coq d'Or suite and Zarathustra, too. Musically I prefer the former.

If you want to cut the chase to a quarter of an hour works, Rimsky's Grande Pâque russe is certainly worth anybody's attention. But please, by all means, avoid Bolero 

[Christo]

A Te Deum, for an hour, inside a symphony? Young Mr. Brian certainly didn't hold back. ("The fools! I'll show them all! I'll create the largest symphony ever known to mankind! And it will be unplayable. Do you hear me? Unplayable! A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...")

I'll give it a go. Maybe I'll get past the five-minute mark next time. Now all I need is a spare two hours so I can hear it.

Young Mr. Brian was 51. It isn't the biggest, it's never bombastic, and since it is perfectly playable, it is played.

Other musical landmarks comparable to the Planets? La Mer, the Sacre, Daphnis et Chloe, Pictures at an Exhibition. Or, if you want to do it for me, Vaughan Williams' Sixth. :-)