Does anyone have any opinions on the following pieces:
Ballets:
The Lure (1921)
The Golden Goose Op. 45 No.1 (1926)
The Morning of the Year Op. 45 No.2 (1926-27)
Chamber:
Phantasy Quartet on British Folksongs
Operas:
The Perfect Fool Op. 39 (1918-22)
At the Boar's Head Op. 42 (1924)
The Wandering Scholar Op. 50 (1929-30)
First Choral Symphony Op. 41 (1923-24)
and any other choral/vocal works.
The Lure (1921) - there's a splendid recording conducted by David Atherton (Lyrita). The ballet is clearly by the same composer who wrote The Planets and Perfect Fool, with a wonderful opening built from fifths: very simple but magical. Holst wrote the ballet in some haste, and one of its dances is clearly derived from a dance in the Japanese Suite, but still I think a very enjoyable piece.
The Golden Goose Op. 45 No.1 (1926) - there's an abbreviated version of this 'choral ballet', sans voices, conducted by Imogen Holst (Lyrita again) which is quite charming. But I think the complete version on Hyperion shows the true character of the piece - more fun and a greater sense of warmth, somehow. Yes, the Guildford Choral Society is rather rough and ready, but that seems quite appropriate for a work originally written for school children and amateur musicians.
The Morning of the Year Op. 45 No.2 (1926-27) - another 'choral ballet', which again (and more definitely) works better in its original version rather than the cold and lifeless hacked-up remains conducted by Atherton (on Lyrita, coupled with 'The Lure'). ie try the Hyperion recording for this.
The Wandering Scholar Op. 50 (1929-30) - a short but sweet opera. There's a superb recording with Norma Burrowes as the central character, Alice, and Michael Langdon as the lustful Father Philippe on EMI conducted by Steuart Bedford. Actually I think it's my favourite of the Holst operas - the story is light (about Alice trying to have a bit on the side while her husband is out on an errand) but charmingly done.
The Perfect Fool Op. 39 (1918-22) - this has never been recorded, except for the colourful and fun ballet music. I've only seen a vocal score and its a bizarre but deliberate mish-mash of styles (a bit of substandard Donizetti, a touch of Wagner, some angular Holst) which seems to be on one level a piss-take of certain cliches of opera, and on the other a strange, Symbolist work (perhaps in the same spirit as Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges, albeit not in the same musical style). I'd be delighted to hear or see this properly performed.
At the Boar's Head Op. 42 (1924) - This work has grown on me: there's an excellent recording by Atherton on EMI. Good humoured rather than bawdy in style, which I think has put some people off. But Prince Hal (sung by Philip Langridge) comes across as rather insufferable, which is quite appropriate.
First Choral Symphony Op. 41 (1923-24) - again this is a work which has grown on me, but even the best recording of this - conducted by Adrian Boult (EMI) - is rather too sober and misses a degree of the wild strangeness that (to me at least) the music suggests.
The one other choral work I'd warmly recommend is Ode to Death - an ecstatic, at times almost Delian work which was excellently recorded by the London Symphony Chorus with the London Philharmonic conducted by Charles Groves (*much* better than the Hickox version on Chandos).
