Poll
Question:
Is Gustav Holst a one hit wonder with THE PLANETS?
Option 1: YES
votes: 3
Option 2: NO
votes: 17
Option 3: NO OPINION
votes: 1
In another forum a debate has started over whether or not Gustav Holst is a one hit wonder with The Planets.
Some of us believe that there are other works of his that are notable. For example his suites for military band.
Do you believe that Holst is a one hit wonder with The Planets?
If no, what other works do you consider notable?
Absolutely not! I'm not a huge fan of Holst in general, but outside of The Planets, I enjoy Egdon Heath, The Mystic Trumpeter, Beni Mora, and Japanese Suite.
If you have a second and third hit (like the two military suites, which are a mainstay of repertoire for the wind orchestra/band), how can someone be a one hit wonder?!? it's true that most of the rest is less known, but some of it is really fantastic (like the songs/part-songs). I also like the Perfect Fool, from which the ballet music is pretty well known too.
Certainly, the success of the Planets outstrips the rest of what he composed. But I feel the idea of 'one-trick pony' is just a way for people to put Holst down (and perhaps raise themselves up). I also feel that because some people think some of his output doesn't sound like the Planets, it is therefore somehow inferior. He's not the only one to have issues like that. Some of his works are certainly less melodic and thus (perhaps) less accessible.
I saw that discussion in that forum, too. I think that a considerable number of those members are newbies, they don't know many works about Holst or other composers {because the majority of them seem to only listen to Mozart, Bach and Beethoven ;D as I've seen many times [unpopular opinion alert (?)]}. Of course Holst is not a one hit wonder composer. His choral works are outstanding enough, not saying of his orchestral music or band music.
At the Boar's Head is pretty good!
Holst has been a victim of the success of The Planets. He was, in my view, a great composer. Had he lived as long as his friend Vaughan Williams he would, I suspect, have a wider appeal to those who only know The Planets. I like the Planets but do not consider it his greatest work. My recommendation:
The First Choral Symphony (the only one actually)
The Hymn of Jesus - considered by his daughter to be his greatest work.
The Perfect Fool (ballet music)
Egdon Heath - considered by Holst to be his greatest work
The Cloud Messenger (one of my favourites)
Beni Mora
The military band suites
Many fine songs
Lyric Movement
Hammersmith
Song: Love on my heart from heaven fell (I don't think the dog barking is part of the score!)
https://youtu.be/qJdZYgoWZkM
No! :o I like everything I've heard. His songs and part songs are particularly underrated. In fact,much as I love The Planets,I prefer some of his other music. I have a shelf full of Holst's various works. The works I listen to least are The Wandering Scholar and At the Boars Head. I think emi should have recorded his entertaining opera,The Perfect Fool,instead (or,preferably,as well!). Even they're well worth a listen. I think his music for brass band is wonderful;and I don't usually care much for brass band music. I love his Choral Symphony,The Hymn of Jesus,the choral ballet's The Golden Goose and The Morning of the Year;particularly in the,imho,less polished,but livelier,deleted,Hyperion recording. I like King Estmere. An early work which get's overlooked.Beni Mora is a big favourite;particularly in Holst's own recording. A Fugal Overture,Hammersmith,A Somerset Rhapsody,Egdon Heath,The Evening Watch,Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda,The Cloud Messenger A Choral Fantasia,A Dirge for two Veterans,Ode to Death,St Pauls Suite,Brook Green Suite.......phew!! (mopping my brow!) So much to like!! :) :) :) :) :) :) (A one work composer,indeed!! :o >:()
Everything he composed,really!! ;D
Quote from: cilgwyn on October 23, 2017, 09:37:54 AM
:) :) :) :) :) :) (A one work composer,indeed!! :o >:()
Amen! 0:)
Is there perhaps a "symphony bias" at play against
Holst? i.e. A belief that a great composer has a body of symphonies of some sort under his girdle, otherwise he does not qualify as "great."
One might deflect the bias - if this theory is correct - with e.g. a body of operas.
A topic perhaps demanding its own title. $:)
Nope, not at all, but The Planets is definitely my favorite work of his. I also really enjoy:
The Hymn of Jesus
Ballet Suite from The Perfect Fool
Beni Mora Suite
Japanese Suite
Invocation for cello and orchestra
Egdon Heath
Hammersmith (orchestral version)
A Somerset Rhapsody
It is unclear whether "hit" is defined by popularity or by quality. In any case, Holst is a very fine composer of interest to me despite an output which is not so large, The Planets is not my favorite work by him, probably Egdon Heath. I voted no.
Quote from: Scarpia on October 23, 2017, 10:17:45 AM
It is unclear whether "hit" is defined by popularity or by quality. In any case, Holst is a very fine composer of interest to me despite an output which is not so large, The Planets is not my favorite work by him, probably Egdon Heath. I voted no.
I have to admit to a stronger preference for
Egdon Heath than
The Planets as well. 8)
The Choral Symphony is great! I'd like to get the recording of The Cloud Messenger too.
Quote from: Maestro267 on October 23, 2017, 11:02:28 AM
The Choral Symphony is great! I'd like to get the recording of The Cloud Messenger too.
I think there's only one recording on Chandos - it has some wonderfully almost minimalist moments.
Nope, there's much more Holst between heaven and earth:
Quote from: kyjo on October 23, 2017, 09:58:05 AM
The Hymn of Jesus
Ballet Suite from The Perfect Fool
Beni Mora Suite
Japanese Suite
Invocation for cello and orchestra
Egdon Heath
Hammersmith (orchestral version)
A Somerset Rhapsody
Quote from: vandermolen on October 23, 2017, 03:40:33 AM
The First Choral Symphony (the only one actually)
The Hymn of Jesus - considered by his daughter to be his greatest work.
The Perfect Fool (ballet music)
Egdon Heath - considered by Holst to be his greatest work
The Cloud Messenger (one of my favourites)
Beni Mora
The military band suites
Many fine songs
Lyric Movement
Hammersmith
Song: Love on my heart from heaven fell (I don't think the dog barking is part of the score!)
https://youtu.be/qJdZYgoWZkM
+
Scherzo from his unfinished Symphony (1934)
+ Brook Green Suite (1933) for strings
+
Capriccio (1933)
+
A Moorside Suite (1928), especially in the version for string orchestra
+
The Lure, ballet music (1921) (similar to the ballet musi from
The Perfect Fool)
+
St. Paul's Suite (1914)
+
A Hampshire Suite (1911)
+ Many choral pieces and songs, especially
This Have I Done for My True Love+ Six Choral Folk Songs (1916
.... and much more. ;)
Quote from: Cato on October 23, 2017, 09:50:39 AM
Is there perhaps a "symphony bias" at play against Holst? i.e. A belief that a great composer has a body of symphonies of some sort under his girdle, otherwise he does not qualify as "great."
Quote from: Christo on October 23, 2017, 12:49:55 PM
+ Scherzo from his unfinished Symphony (1934)
Do we know the story as to why it remained unfinished?
In the other forum one of the more astute members made the following observation:
"...discussions like these are pointless unless you define for which group.
For the casual listener to classical music (typically the music for the millions type): yes.
For the larger public: zero hit wonder.
For those who explore classical music in more breadth and depth: maybe*.
* if they are interested in British music and/or band music: no, otherwise probably yes."
One has to take the results of these polls with a grain of salt. That is why I rarely participate in them. The universe there is radically different than the one here.
(I will let others argue on which universe is better. I have no idea. I will let other tread that path)
So far the results of that poll are:
Yes 16
No 17
Who was Gustav Holst? 1
Quote from: Cato on October 23, 2017, 02:10:59 PMDo we know the story as to why it remained unfinished?
It's a very short one: Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934).
As far as the category "one hit wonder" can be applied in classical music, Holst and the Planets certainly are a plausible candidate. The point is not that some insiders know and appreciate other works of the composer but that one piece is extraordinarily famous and nothing else comes close in popularity for a broader audience, even within classical music. I have two Holst discs besides "The Planets" and I am not even sure if I listened to them more than once or twice. And I have a fairly broad and extensive collection of around 5000 CDs.
Similar cases: Orff/Carmina Burana, Pachelbel/Canon, Barber/"Adagio" Of course, all of them have written more and probably more important works (in Holst's case he is at least famous for a really major work, not like Pachelbel...) but they are completely overshadowed by the big hit.
Quote from: Jo498 on October 23, 2017, 11:10:12 PMBarber/"Adagio"
Errr, there's also a musical world outside of Germany. ;D (Though I do appreciate the German musical world highly too!)
Quote from: Jo498 on October 23, 2017, 11:10:12 PM
As far as the category "one hit wonder" can be applied in classical music, Holst and the Planets certainly are a plausible candidate. The point is not that some insiders know and appreciate other works of the composer but that one piece is extraordinarily famous and nothing else comes close in popularity for a broader audience, even within classical music. I have two Holst discs besides "The Planets" and I am not even sure if I listened to them more than once or twice. And I have a fairly broad and extensive collection of around 5000 CDs.
Similar cases: Orff/Carmina Burana, Pachelbel/Canon, Barber/"Adagio" Of course, all of them have written more and probably more important works (in Holst's case he is at least famous for a really major work, not like Pachelbel...) but they are completely overshadowed by the big hit.
'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' by Dukas comes to mind as well.
Quote from: Cato on October 23, 2017, 09:50:39 AMIs there perhaps a "symphony bias" at play against Holst?
I guess there's a point. Holst completed at least two symphonies, but only the Choral Symphony is a major composition:
1.
Symphony in F major "The Cotswolds" (1900)
2.
First Choral Symphony (1924)
3. And started a third one in 1933 before his untimely death (not the promised 'Second Choral Symphony' however) from wich we have a promising
Scherzo (1934)
And I normaly play the last three movements of
The Planets (1916) as if it where a symphony in three movements:
1. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
2. Uranus, the Magician
3. Neptune, the Mystic
Quote from: Christo on October 23, 2017, 11:16:27 PM
Errr, there's also a musical world outside of Germany. ;D (Though I do appreciate the German musical world highly too!)
Sure, but I am already looking outside because restricted to Germany/Austria Barber would be closer to "no hit - no wonder" ;)
The "Adagio" has nowhere the status in Germany as a semi-official mourning music it has in the anglosphere.
Quote from: Christo on October 23, 2017, 11:46:23 PM
I guess there's a point. Holst completed at least two symphonies, but only the Choral Symphony is a major composition:
1. Symphony in F major "The Cotswolds" (1900)
2. First Choral Symphony (1924)
3. And started a third one in 1933 before his untimely death (not the promised 'Second Choral Symphony' however) from wich we have a promising Scherzo (1934)
And I normaly play the last three movements of The Planets (1916) as if it where a symphony in three movements:
1. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
2. Uranus, the Magician
3. Neptune, the Mystic
Saturn was Holst's favourite Planet and mine too. Stephen Johnson has suggested that Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony was a tribute to Holst - certainly it seems to show the influence of Mars (first movement), Saturn (second movement) Uranus (scherzo) and especially Neptune in the 'Epilogue'.
Quote from: vandermolen on October 23, 2017, 11:26:55 PM
'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' by Dukas comes to mind as well.
I prefer his opera,
Ariane et Barbe-bleue. More like a huge tone poem with voices,in some ways. Just let the fabulous orchestration and haunting atmosphere 'wash' over you. (It's not one of those warbly operas!). I'm sure even vandermolen,with his famous loathing of opera,could even muster
some enthusiasm for this one! It's twilit world has been compared with that of Debussy's
Pelléas et Mélisande. But the Dukas opera is more immediately lyrical and approachable. When I listen to the Debussy opera,I find myself looking at the booklet,at frequent intervals. With the Dukas opera,I can just leave it on,sit back,and enjoy the fabulous sounds coming from the headphones (or speakers?). Unfortunately,there aren't so many "other" works by Dukas to choose from. He didn't compose that much music;and he was so self critical,he seems to have thrown most of it away!
So,again,not
really a one work composer for me!
Quote from: vandermolen on October 24, 2017, 02:54:47 AMSaturn was Holst's favourite Planet and mine too. Stephen Johnson has suggested that Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony was a tribute to Holst - certainly it seems to show the influence of Mars (first movement), Saturn (second movement) Uranus (scherzo) and especially Neptune in the 'Epilogue'.
Mine too. And I once made a radio documentary on their friendship and mutual influences, in which I presented the Sixth - at the end - as RVW's final tribute to his life-long friend. For exactly these reasons (I think we both totally agree with).
Quote from: vandermolen on October 24, 2017, 02:54:47 AM
Saturn was Holst's favourite Planet and mine too. Stephen Johnson has suggested that Vaughan Williams's 6th Symphony was a tribute to Holst - certainly it seems to show the influence of Mars (first movement), Saturn (second movement) Uranus (scherzo) and especially Neptune in the 'Epilogue'.
Very interesting. I had never thought about the connection between these two works before.
Quote from: Christo on October 24, 2017, 05:07:18 AM
Mine too. And I once made a radio documentary on their friendship and mutual influences, in which I presented the Sixth - at the end - as RVW's final tribute to his life-long friend. For exactly these reasons (I think we both totally agree with).
That is very interesting - I think that you are probably right.
Quote from: kyjo on October 24, 2017, 05:59:32 AM
Very interesting. I had never thought about the connection between these two works before.
It is certainly an interesting speculation Kyle - after all VW and Holst were great friends and VW felt lost without Holst's friendship and advice when Holst died.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on October 22, 2017, 07:52:51 PM
If you have a second and third hit (like the two military suites, which are a mainstay of repertoire for the wind orchestra/band), how can someone be a one hit wonder?!?
precisely - my point exactly on the other forum....
- by any reasonable definition of musical "Hit" - a work that is part of the basic and essential repertoire would be included and regarded as such.
- Holst wrote several works that are part of the basic performance repertoire - ie - "Hits". Therefore -
- Holst would not be included as a "one hit wonder".
The answer to the above question is No! However I can't find a Holst thread other than 'Non-Planets Holst' started by myself ::)
Just to say that I'm delighted to see a new De Luxe release of William Steinberg's Boston SO recording of 'The Planets' - a truly classic recording IMHO. I like everything that I have heard by Steinberg not least his recording of Vaughan Williams's Five Tudor Portraits.
[asin]B079B3587V[/asin]
Answer! NO!!
Some favorite non-Planets Holst discs:
[asin]B000027QWB[/asin]
[asin]B000027QWD[/asin]
[asin]B00005QDYL[/asin]
[asin]B000NOIWTY[/asin]
[asin]B000007N5X[/asin]
This is one of my favourite Holst cd's. I actually,prefer this to the more polished recordings by Hickox,on Chandos. It's also got King Estmere,which I like. (Hickox has got The Lure,though). I also like having these choral works on one cd. I like the painting on the front of this cd,too. This is one of those cd's that Hyperion don't like and seem determined not to reissue;although it's available to download. (Come on Hyperion,let's have a reissue on your Helios label!) I got my copy s/h as I prefer an actual cd,with a booklet. I think these are lovely,magical works. Especially,the The Golden Goose and The Morning of the Year. But I like them all.I actually,prefer them to The Planets,in many ways.
Oh,and I do wish Chandos would record his opera,The Perfect Fool. Alternatively,a cd of the BBC recording. There's allot of colourful,inventive music in it,and it really is fascinating to hear the famous ballet music in it's original context. A lovely work and a major omission from the Holst discography! >:(
(https://i.imgur.com/Hu4wP4M.jpg)
Quote from: cilgwyn on July 28, 2018, 03:27:54 AM
This is one of my favourite Holst cd's. I actually,prefer this to the more polished recordings by Hickox,on Chandos. It's also got King Estmere,which I like. (Hickox has got The Lure,though). I also like having these choral works on one cd. I like the painting on the front of this cd,too. This is one of those cd's that Hyperion don't like and seem determined not to reissue;although it's available to download. (Come on Hyperion,let's have a reissue on your Helios label!) I got my copy s/h as I prefer an actual cd,with a booklet. I think these are lovely,magical works. Especially,the The Golden Goose and The Morning of the Year. But I like them all.I actually,prefer them to The Planets,in many ways.
Oh,and I do wish Chandos would record his opera,The Perfect Fool. Alternatively,a cd of the BBC recording. There's allot of colourful,inventive music in it,and it really is fascinating to hear the famous ballet music in it's original context. A lovely work and a major omission from the Holst discography! >:(
(https://i.imgur.com/Hu4wP4M.jpg)
Gosh - this looks very interesting - I will look out for it.
Aside from "The Planets" (though overplayed, it's undoubtedly his greatest achievement IMO), my favorite Holst works include the ravishing "The Hymn of Jesus", the dynamic suite from "The Perfect Fool", the exotic "Beni Mora" and Japanese Suite, the gorgeous "Invocation" for cello and orchestra, and the jolly "Fugal Overture". "Hammersmith" and "Egdon Heath" and more enigmatic later works but still worth anyone's attention. I wish he would've completed that symphony he was working on at his death...
Quote from: kyjo on July 29, 2018, 01:00:13 PM
Aside from "The Planets" (though overplayed, it's undoubtedly his greatest achievement IMO), my favorite Holst works include the ravishing "The Hymn of Jesus", the dynamic suite from "The Perfect Fool", the exotic "Beni Mora" and Japanese Suite, the gorgeous "Invocation" for cello and orchestra, and the jolly "Fugal Overture". "Hammersmith" and "Egdon Heath" and more enigmatic later works but still worth anyone's attention. I wish he would've completed that symphony he was working on at his death...
My views are very similar to yours Kyle. In addition I like the Choral Symphony, and The Cloud Messenger, especially for its proto-minimalist section.
Quote from: vandermolen on July 29, 2018, 02:02:48 PM
My views are very similar to yours Kyle. In addition I like the Choral Symphony, and The Cloud Messenger, especially for its proto-minimalist section.
I agree with you both, kyjo and vandermolen. Holst had other good works but damn The Planets is a masterpiece. It is off the charts in quality and originality. I have performed it (bass trombone) and it was an incredible experience that few works can compare to. So he isn't a one hit wonder but damn this work is way above everything else he conceived and few other composers in all history accomplished so much in a single work. If he hadn't composed this work, he would be a good composer but it is this single work that is studied by composers and orchestrators for generations to come. There are few composers in which the same can be said. For example, Ravel is studied as a magnificent orchestrator for many of his works but for Holst it is this single work. I will also add that it is a dream for any composer to be so highly regarded for any single work of theirs so this is not an insult that The Planets is his masterpiece.
Quote from: relm1 on July 29, 2018, 04:16:42 PM
I agree with you both, kyjo and vandermolen. Holst had other good works but damn The Planets is a masterpiece. It is off the charts in quality and originality. I have performed it (bass trombone) and it was an incredible experience that few works can compare to. So he isn't a one hit wonder but damn this work is way above everything else he conceived and few other composers in all history accomplished so much in a single work. If he hadn't composed this work, he would be a good composer but it is this single work that is studied by composers and orchestrators for generations to come. There are few composers in which the same can be said. For example, Ravel is studied as a magnificent orchestrator for many of his works but for Holst it is this single work. I will also add that it is a dream for any composer to be so highly regarded for any single work of theirs so this is not an insult that The Planets is his masterpiece.
I totally agree. Because
The Planets is so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget what a remarkably original and powerful work it is. Nice as his other works are, they simply can't compare to it in sheer brilliance of ideas and orchestration, like you say. It sure seems as if Holst poured his entire creative being into this one work. I've also performed it (cello) and it was a great experience as well.
How exciting that the two of you performed in The Planets!
Three of us 8)
Four! Mars was the first time I ever played 5/4 time. I loved it!
I like the Planets as much as the next person but they are most definitely *not* Holst's masterpiece - and that would be by his own definition. The orchestration is impressive but not great, the work is uneven. Imogen Holst could be a stern critic of her father's work and she relates not just her own but also her father's sense of what is lacking in the piece. Something such as Savitri is a piece far closer to the essence of how Holst saw himself as a mature composer and to my mind that piece - and some of the other near-minimalist works - are where his real genius resides. The Planets is the last of his post-Wagnerian excesses - and great fun it is too.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on July 30, 2018, 01:46:50 AM
Four! Mars was the first time I ever played 5/4 time. I loved it!
Great to hear. What instrument were you playing?
Quote from: vandermolen on July 31, 2018, 02:12:51 AM
Apologies Karl!
:)
No worries,
Jeffrey!
Quote from: mc ukrneal on July 30, 2018, 01:46:50 AM
Four! Mars was the first time I ever played 5/4 time. I loved it!
Curiously, my first 5/4 experience was a piece for band . . . .
What Planet is this guy on! https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/
Quote from: Irons on January 24, 2019, 01:37:57 AM
What Planet is this guy on! https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/
don't go there!
Quote from: Irons on January 24, 2019, 01:37:57 AMWhat Planet is this guy on! https://petersplanets.wordpress.com
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on January 24, 2019, 11:21:51 AM
don't go there!
Please do - best overview of
The Planets recordings ever & all reviews written in great style. ;D
Quote from: Christo on January 24, 2019, 11:29:39 AM
Please do - best overview of The Planets recordings ever & all reviews written in great style. ;D
I agree. The chap doesn't take himself too seriously, the reviews are quite humorous. Number 30 on his list is my favourite version even though it never gets a mention. Peter liked it too so fair play to him.
Holst had one of the most original musical minds of the early twentieth century, going his own way into new musical paths following The Planets, hence the rapid decline in appreciation of his later output. Certainly, Hammersmith and Egdon Heath are truly wonderful scores which deserve a place in the concert repertoire.
I would echo the call for the release of the BBC recording of The Perfect Fool (1923), and plead that it be coupled with the broadcast of the powerful Hecuba's Lament (1911)...
:)
Quote from: Irons on January 24, 2019, 01:37:57 AM
What Planet is this guy on! https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/
Hey, that's me!
Quote from: Ghost of Baron Scarpia on January 24, 2019, 11:21:51 AM
don't go there!
Wise advice.
Quote from: Christo on January 24, 2019, 11:29:39 AM
Please do - best overview of The Planets recordings ever & all reviews written in great style. ;D
Thanks, Christo.
Quote from: Irons on January 24, 2019, 01:18:30 PM
I agree. The chap doesn't take himself too seriously, the reviews are quite humorous. Number 30 on his list [Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / George Hurst (https://petersplanets.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/hurst-1974/)] is my favourite version even though it never gets a mention. Peter liked it too so fair play to him.
Thanks, Irons.
Howdy, folks.
I haven't been on the forum in a while. Have I missed anything?
Hey, Pepe le Pew !
Heard any new Planets recordings lately ?
Quote from: André on March 28, 2019, 04:33:12 PM
Hey, Pepe le Pew !
Heard any new Planets recordings lately ?
Not recently, but I know there are a few floating around.
Thanks to the daughter currently living in Japan (Hi, Celeste!), I now have two more
Planets CDs:
- National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain / Edward Gardner (https://www.amazon.com/Gustav-Holst-Planets-Richard-Zarathustra/dp/B01NBMWBNU)
- The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra / Kazuyoshi Akiyama (https://www.amazon.com/x30DB-x30EB-x30B9-x30C8-x60D1/dp/B000067P0A)
I haven't heard them yet – but I fully intend to. Sometime.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61BcdA6apxL.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/811BtTXb21L._SL1500_.jpg)
Definitely not new, but I was finally able to track down the penultimate Boult recording with the Philharmonia streaming online, and it's a magical recording. It's in this box:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516tJyIhHrL.jpg)
https://listen.tidal.com/album/5961842
https://play.qobuz.com/album/5099909543355
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Q1sU5N7ij1QQIqWDzSGqL
But there is also this box, which has all of Boult's Planets recordings for EMI:
[asin]B00DSZUYY6[/asin]
I can't find this on any of the streaming services, though.
Quote from: Daverz on March 28, 2019, 11:25:51 PM
Definitely not new, but I was finally able to track down the penultimate Boult recording with the Philharmonia streaming online, and it's a magical recording. It's in this box:
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/516tJyIhHrL.jpg)
https://listen.tidal.com/album/5961842
https://play.qobuz.com/album/5099909543355
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Q1sU5N7ij1QQIqWDzSGqL
But there is also this box, which has all of Boult's Planets recordings for EMI:
[asin]B00DSZUYY6[/asin]
I can't find this on any of the streaming services, though.
I have that set (the top one) which is very nice. I'd forgotten that The Planets was included ::)
Also, nice to see PPP back again. :)
Quote from: vandermolen on March 29, 2019, 01:49:35 AM
I have that set (the top one) which is very nice. I'd forgotten that The Planets was included ::)
Also, nice to see PPP back again. :)
Thanks, Magnificent V.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on March 28, 2019, 06:29:58 PM
Not recently, but I know there are a few floating around.
Thanks to the daughter currently living in Japan (Hi, Celeste!), I now have two more Planets CDs:
I haven't heard them yet – but I fully intend to. Sometime.
What a sweet name! Do you by any chance have another daughter named
Venus ? ;D
Quote from: André on March 29, 2019, 04:48:33 AM
What a sweet name!
Thanks.
Quote from: André on March 29, 2019, 04:48:33 AMDo you by any chance have another daughter named Venus ? ;D
Nope. Our other daughter is Natalie (Hi, Natalie!).
I got to name Celeste, and my wife chose Natalie's name.
Had I been given the chance for naming Natalie, I would have gone with something like Veronika or Isabella. (I'm Australian, but I love European names.)
My wife got to name both of our daughters ::). That was the easy part, as she knew what she wanted. Naming our son was a nine month long fight :laugh:.
Quote from: André on March 29, 2019, 06:03:40 PM
My wife got to name both of our daughters ::). That was the easy part, as she knew what she wanted. Naming our son was a nine month long fight :laugh:.
We only have two daughters (Hi, Celeste and Natalie!), so the naming wasn't too much of an ordeal.
Quote from: arpeggio on October 22, 2017, 07:32:58 PM
In another forum a debate has started over whether or not Gustav Holst is a one hit wonder with The Planets.
Some of us believe that there are other works of his that are notable. For example his suites for military band.
Do you believe that Holst is a one hit wonder with The Planets?
If no, what other works do you consider notable?
I'm late to this party but here are my thoughts:
Yes!Holst is
very reasonably a "One Hit Wonder" Composer (OHWO / OHWOCO) since The Planets outstrip and overshadow his other works in popularity.
Who, if not someone like Holst, who is just about as famous as The Planets, would be? I think the concept of OHWOCO would be meaningless if he wasn't considered one.
In a twitter-survey (https://twitter.com/ClassicalCritic/status/1037091924946178048) (where Pachelbel won by a good margin) I tried to define an OH-WO-CO thus:
What makes a good One-Hit-Wonder composer?
1.) Just how famous is that one hit ("absolute height")
2.) How much more famous than any other work ("prominence")
3.) How small, rich, or poor is the composer's body of work, apart from said hit. ("deserving")
Or does an OHWOCO need to be less famous than his work? Like Fučík?
That said, in my book OHWOCO-status
does not preclude the composer from having written absolutely deserving, wonderful other music. And in fact, I would think that the OHWOCO-debate is interesting precisely because -- like in this thread -- it can be used to spotlight such works. But an obscure masterpiece or twenty in the output of a composer still only known for one work wouldn't preclude that status, I think.
Circling back: I think Holst might be a Top-3; definitely a Top-5 OHWOCO!
Oh, that previous post (thanks, arpeggio) reminded me that I didn't get around to answering the question about whether Holst is a one-hit wonder or not.
To me, the answer is an emphatic yes.
People know about The Planets. They don't know his other stuff.
As I mentioned in the OP what about the Suites for Military Band?
According to my research in the United States they are much more frequently performed that The Planets.
As a band junkie it saddens me that there are still elements of the classical community that considered well composed concert band music to be an inferior form of classical music.
In another forum a gentleman from Minneapolis, Minnesota made the statement that my observation about The Suites was bogus. After a few months he retracted his comments. He monitored the programs of various community and school bands in the area and found several groups that performed one of The Suites.
I have had discussions with several choral junkies and they mentioned several of his choral works that are frequently performed. One of the most popular is his Christmas Hymn, "In the Bleak Midwinter".
One can easily find many fine examples of these works on You Tube. I found over a hundred samples of "In the Bleak Midwinter". The following is a sample of a nice performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0aIQp9V4s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0aIQp9V4s). Not bad for a non-hit.
I will concede that it is his most notable orchestral work.
Quote from: arpeggio on March 30, 2019, 06:30:18 PM
As I mentioned in the OP what about the Suites for Military Band?
According to my research in the United States they are much more frequently performed that The Planets.
As a band junkie it saddens me that there are still elements of the classical community that considered well composed concert band music to be an inferior form of classical music.
In another forum a gentleman from Minneapolis, Minnesota made the statement that my observation about The Suites was bogus. After a few months he retracted his comments. He monitored the programs of various community and school bands in the area and found several groups that performed one of The Suites.
I have had discussions with several choral junkies and they mentioned several of his choral works that are frequently performed. One of the most popular is his Christmas Hymn, "In the Bleak Midwinter".
One can easily find many fine examples of these works on You Tube. I found over a hundred samples of "In the Bleak Midwinter". The following is a sample of a nice performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0aIQp9V4s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0aIQp9V4s). Not bad for a non-hit.
I will concede that it is his most notable orchestral work.
I agree with you. What's more, I know very few Christmas hymns like the one you posted, probably 5-10 in total. But I have totally heard this one! I had no idea it was by Holst. It's very popular.
By the way, I am a fellow band junkie (my wife was giving me funny looks when I told her about some of the brass band stuff I was considering buying). Love the stuff! Played those Holst suites in the day (sax) - great to play. Do you also watch the DCI stuff? I love that too (not sure if it's considered part of the same or separate).
I'd agree & would add that the music of the band suites, Planets, and Midwinter will be instantly familiar to most adults even if they had no idea who the composer was, simply because of the extent to which they've penetrated the culture. So maybe a 4 or 5 hit wonder
It depends on the public one has in mind. Hardly anybody in continental Europe knows anything of these "band suites". If one takes the typical listener of classical music who might be in France, Poland or Japan, not in in anglophone culture where the band pieces or carols are commonly known, I think Jens is right. Holst is one of the clearest examples for a "one hit wonder".
Another one would be Mussorgsky, although here it is slightly more complicated because Boris Godunov is a reasonably well known opera and maybe also the "Night on a bare mountain". And the most famous piece is more famous because of Ravel...
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on March 30, 2019, 12:25:28 AM
I'm late to this party but here are my thoughts:
Yes!
Holst is very reasonably a "One Hit Wonder" Composer (OHWO / OHWOCO) since The Planets outstrip and overshadow his other works in popularity.
Who, if not someone like Holst, who is just about as famous as The Planets, would be? I think the concept of OHWOCO would be meaningless if he wasn't considered one.
In a twitter-survey (https://twitter.com/ClassicalCritic/status/1037091924946178048) (where Pachelbel won by a good margin) I tried to define an OH-WO-CO thus:
What makes a good One-Hit-Wonder composer?
1.) Just how famous is that one hit ("absolute height")
2.) How much more famous than any other work ("prominence")
3.) How small, rich, or poor is the composer's body of work, apart from said hit. ("deserving")
Or does an OHWOCO need to be less famous than his work? Like Fučík?
That said, in my book OHWOCO-status does not preclude the composer from having written absolutely deserving, wonderful other music. And in fact, I would think that the OHWOCO-debate is interesting precisely because -- like in this thread -- it can be used to spotlight such works. But an obscure masterpiece or twenty in the output of a composer still only known for one work wouldn't preclude that status, I think.
Circling back: I think Holst might be a Top-3; definitely a Top-5 OHWOCO!
I agree with 1&2 but 3 should not be taken as read, I feel. The Planets cast a shadow over the rest of Holst's output and I think he did grow to resent that. The Planets are not typical of him and I think we should ask ourselves of his standing if that work had not been written. His individual mix of the East and English folk make him a composer well worth exploring, and after Elgar and RVW I would place him, sans The Planets, high in the field of competing runners of British composers - some would say that isn't saying a lot ???.
Quote from: Jo498 on March 31, 2019, 01:00:24 AM
Another one would be Mussorgsky.... [although] the most famous piece is more famous because of Ravel...
That should be a category of its own: Which composer is best known for a piece of music that isn't actually his. ;D
Gounod (Ave Maria), Flotow (Martha), and Musorgsky (Pictures) would be in the running, off the top off my head.
Albinoni's Adagio...
A few days ago I've been listening to a full 1-hour program of Holst's music on the Romanian classical music station. They played the Brook Green Suite, A Fugal Concerto and the Saint Paul Suite. I liked them very much --- nay, I just I loved them. He is now on my short list of composers to be explored further.
Quote from: SurprisedByBeauty on March 31, 2019, 03:37:42 AM
That should be a category of its own: Which composer is best known for a piece of music that isn't actually his. ;D
Gounod (Ave Maria), Flotow (Martha), and Musorgsky (Pictures) would be in the running, off the top off my head.
To be fair, the tenor aria "Ach so fromm" is also quite famous and unlike "Last rose of summer" was composed by Flotow. And the soppy melody on top of the Bach prelude is also really Gounod's, isn't it.
I mentioned this already in another thread:
Haydn for Hofstetter's "Serenade quartet", Purcell for Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary".
Even Bach's toccata & Fuge d minor is somewhat dubious and there is a song (Bist Du bei mir) in Anna Magdalena's notebook that is probably by Stölzel. I don't know what the current status of that Lullaby attr. to WA Mozart (Schlafe, mein Prinzchen, schlaf ein) is.
Quote from: Jo498 on March 31, 2019, 06:22:15 AM
Haydn for Hofstetter's "Serenade quartet"
Love that one.
I used to call it the "Ladykiller's Serenade" but I am not sure if in that movie they mostly play (from a record) Boccherini's Menuet (the ONE from several hundred he must have written).
There is one very similar movement in Haydn's op.1 (not exactly sure of the number, probably #6), that is undoubtedly by Haydn. The greatest slow movement of that opus is the op.1#3, though. It uncommonly starts with a slow movement that is some kind of echo duet between the violins.
Quote from: Jo498 on March 31, 2019, 06:46:46 AM
The greatest slow movement of that opus is the op.1#3, though. It uncommonly starts with a slow movement that is some kind of echo duet between the violins.
Now I know what I'll be listening to tonight*. Thanks. :)
* Beside some already scheduled
Chopin,
Faure and
Rachmaninoff, that is. 8)
Quote from: Florestan on March 31, 2019, 05:14:47 AM
A few days ago I've been listening to a full 1-hour program of Holst's music on the Romanian classical music station. They played the Brook Green Suite, A Fugal Concerto and the Saint Paul Suite. I liked them very much --- nay, I just I loved them. He is now on my short list of composers to be explored further.
Add "Egdon Heath" to your list.
Quote from: Irons on March 31, 2019, 09:09:35 AM
Add "Egdon Heath" to your list.
Duly noted, thanks.
Quote from: Irons on March 31, 2019, 09:09:35 AM
Add "Egdon Heath" to your list.
+1
The Choral Symphony is perhaps difficult to get hold of at first (Vaughan Williams found it so) but it is probably my favourite work by Holst and definitely worth exploring. I prefer it to the much better known 'Hymn of Jesus'.
Quote from: Florestan on March 31, 2019, 05:14:47 AM
A few days ago I've been listening to a full 1-hour program of Holst's music on the Romanian classical music station. They played the Brook Green Suite, A Fugal Concerto and the Saint Paul Suite. I liked them very much --- nay, I just I loved them. He is now on my short list of composers to be explored further.
Like you, I feel I should spend more time with this composer's music. There's just so much music out there that it makes it difficult to commit time in getting to know a composer when you think you should be listening to something else (for whatever reason). From what I remember, besides
The Planets, I seem to recall enjoying several Holst works, especially
Egdon Heath,
The Hymn of Jesus,
The Perfect Fool - Ballet Suite,
Japanese Suite, among others.
Of course Holst is a one hit wonder. So is Mozart, with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Bach (BWV 565).
Some composers are zero-hit wonders. Brahms and Schubert (name any work by either that has the name recognition of Planets or EKN) for example.
Beethoven probably scores highest, with as many as four: Symphonies 5 and 9 (distilled into the opening of the first movement, and the last movement, respectively), the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and Fur Elise.
Quote from: JBS on March 31, 2019, 01:10:32 PM
Of course Holst is a one hit wonder. So is Mozart, with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Bach (BWV 565).
Some composers are zero-hit wonders. Brahms and Schubert (name any work by either that has the name recognition of Planets or EKN) for example.
Beethoven probably scores highest, with as many as four: Symphonies 5 and 9 (distilled into the opening of the first movement, and the last movement, respectively), the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and Fur Elise.
Brahms has the lullaby from op.49 which is definitely a hit. I think Bach also has a second hit in the form of the Minuet in G (which unlike BWV 565 is probably by him).
I seem to gave missed the Lullaby completely. I may have never even heard it before now!
I think the Hungarian Dances would be a better claimant.
Speaking of which, in connection with the "hits not actually written by the composer who is famous for it" subthread
QuoteOnly numbers 11, 14 and 16 are entirely original compositions. The better-known Hungarian Dances include Nos. 1 and 5, the latter which was based on the csárdás "Bártfai emlék" (Memories of Bártfa) by Hungarian composer Béla Kéler, which Brahms mistakenly thought was a traditional folksong.[3] A footnote on the Ludwig-Masters edition of a modern orchestration of Hungarian Dance No.1 states: "The material for this dance is believed to have come from the Divine Csárdás (ca. 1850) of Hungarian composer and conductor Miska Borzó."
(From https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Dances_(Brahms) )
Quote from: JBS on March 31, 2019, 01:10:32 PM
Of course Holst is a one hit wonder. So is Mozart, with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Bach (BWV 565).
Some composers are zero-hit wonders. Brahms and Schubert (name any work by either that has the name recognition of Planets or EKN) for example.
Beethoven probably scores highest, with as many as four: Symphonies 5 and 9 (distilled into the opening of the first movement, and the last movement, respectively), the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and Fur Elise.
Schubert:
Ave Maria
Quote from: JBS on March 31, 2019, 01:10:32 PM
Of course Holst is a one hit wonder. So is Mozart, with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Bach (BWV 565).
Some composers are zero-hit wonders. Brahms and Schubert (name any work by either that has the name recognition of Planets or EKN) for example.
Beethoven probably scores highest, with as many as four: Symphonies 5 and 9 (distilled into the opening of the first movement, and the last movement, respectively), the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata, and Fur Elise.
Being pedantic, how can you be a one hit wonder with four? The Jupiter symphony must be up there with Eine Kleine. Schubert has the "Trout" and I wish I had a £1 for every playing of the Adagio of his String Quintet on "Desert Island Discs".
The Planets is not close to being a "ringtone hit" or "classics of the movies", so the comparisons are lopsided.
There are at least two or three dozens of "ringtone hits" far better known than the Planets (I myself would probably not recognize some of the "Planets" besides Mars and Jupiter). E.g. by Bach at least the "Air", the badinerie from the flute suite, probably also Jesus, Joy, Sleepers awake, the beginning of the 3rd Brandenburg and probably a few more.
More apt comparisons for the Planets would be one hit wonders that are major works but not quite ringtone hits like the already mentioned Pictures of an Exhibition or Weber's Freischütz. I think Holst is in pretty good company there.
Quote from: JBS on March 31, 2019, 01:10:32 PM
Some composers are zero-hit wonders. Brahms and Schubert (name any work by either that has the name recognition of Planets or EKN) for example.
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Schubert: Ave Maria.
Quote from: Florestan on April 01, 2019, 12:47:52 AM
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Schubert: Ave Maria.
Brahms - No - I would probably recognise it as one of the Hungarian Dances but not know the number
Schubert - Yes but there would be lingering uncertainty as to whether it wasn't that other syrupy confection already mentioned.
Quote from: Biffo on April 01, 2019, 12:52:27 AM
Brahms - No - I would probably recognise it as one of the Hungarian Dances but not know the number
It doesn't matter whether one would know the number --- or even the composer; what matters is that this particular Hungarian Dance is known worldwide, probably much more known than
The Planets.
Quote
Schubert - Yes but there would be lingering uncertainty as to whether it wasn't that other syrupy confection already mentioned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Schubert) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Schubert))
Even within The Planets, there are just sections that I find overwhelmingly excellent ... the work on the whole I'm not yet convinced is genuinely great ... I think it's good and I think Holst was talented
I don't think of him as a great composer by any stretch and I find much of his music derivative and pointlessly austere and stiff ... so, narrowly speaking I'd have to say he's a bit of a one-hit wonder if we're comparing him to really major composers
In general, I think his music is solid and generally quite good but I think it's impossible to objectively deem him "great" or even "near great"
Quote from: ChopinBroccoli on July 20, 2019, 10:24:18 AM
Even within The Planets, there are just sections that I find overwhelmingly excellent ... the work on the whole I'm not yet convinced is genuinely great ... I think it's good and I think Holst was talented
I don't think of him as a great composer by any stretch and I find much of his music derivative and pointlessly austere and stiff ... so, narrowly speaking I'd have to say he's a bit of a one-hit wonder if we're comparing him to really major composers
In general, I think his music is solid and generally quite good but I think it's impossible to objectively deem him "great" or even "near great"
The Planets is one of the real orchestral masterpieces of the early 20th century, so I differ with you on that regard. However, your other comments fit what I think of this composer, although I do consider other works like Beni Mora, Japanese Suite, First Choral Symphony, Indra, The Hymn of Jesus, Ode to Death, A Choral Fantasia, Suite de ballet, Egdon Heath, St Paul Suite, etc being greatly impressive, moving or fun.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on July 20, 2019, 11:35:41 AM
The Planets is one of the real orchestral masterpieces of the early 20th century, so I differ with you on that regard. However, your other comments fit what I think of this composer, although I do consider other works like Beni Mora, Japanese Suite, First Choral Symphony, Indra, The Hymn of Jesus, Ode to Death, A Choral Fantasia, Suite de ballet, Egdon Heath, St Paul Suite, etc being greatly impressive, moving or fun.
Totally fair take
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on July 20, 2019, 11:35:41 AM
The Planets is one of the real orchestral masterpieces of the early 20th century, so I differ with you on that regard. However, your other comments fit what I think of this composer, although I do consider other works like Beni Mora, Japanese Suite, First Choral Symphony, Indra, The Hymn of Jesus, Ode to Death, A Choral Fantasia, Suite de ballet, Egdon Heath, St Paul Suite, etc being greatly impressive, moving or fun.
I largely agree with you Cesar. In particulatr I rate the First Choral Symphony and Egdon Heath very highly. To your list I'd add The Perfect Fool Ballet Music, Hammersmith and the Cloud Messenger which has some wonderful moments. The band suites are good too.
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on July 20, 2019, 11:35:41 AM
The Planets is one of the real orchestral masterpieces of the early 20th century, so I differ with you on that regard. However, your other comments fit what I think of this composer, although I do consider other works like Beni Mora, Japanese Suite, First Choral Symphony, Indra, The Hymn of Jesus, Ode to Death, A Choral Fantasia, Suite de ballet, Egdon Heath, St Paul Suite, etc being greatly impressive, moving or fun.
It is. To evaluate Holst I think the way to go is look at him as two composers. One who wrote The Planets and another who composed the rest. A work as great, popular and untypical (of Holst) as The Planets casts a long shadow. I am pleased Suite de Ballet is on your list as it is a work I love.
Copied over from VW thread:
I just listened to a fascinating piece of archive material which was broadcast during the interval of the concert in Manchester last night (21/04). It features Vaughan Williams, in his characteristic upper class accent talking about Gustav Holst and (after Holst's 'Moorside Suite') the composer Herbert Howells talking about Holst. At one time Holst, VW and Howells taught at St Paul's Girl's School in Hammersmith, London. Towards the end of his life Holst turned up unexpectedly one Saturday night, at Howells's front door seemingly very ill. Howells invited Holst to join him and his wife for supper but Holst refused and said that he'd go up to Howells's study to look at manuscripts. By chance there was a Prom being broadcast that night featuring 'The Planets'. Howells invited Holst to come downstairs to listen to the broadcast of 'The Planets' but Holst said that he did not want to hear it! However he eventually came down to listen and when the audience spontaneously started singing the big tune in the middle of 'Jupiter' ('I Vow to thee My Country') Howells noticed that tears were streaming down Holst's face. At the end Holst left them saying that he didn't suppose that they would see him much more and he died shortly afterwards. The extract is after the broadcast of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 9, about 37 minutes into the broadcast and the Howells reminiscences are played after Holst's 'Moorside Suite':
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00169jf
Thanks for that, Jeffrey - very interesting, and still moving nearly 90 years after the events. Remarkable as well that Howells, a builder's son from the Forest of Dean, also spoke in that cut-glass accent - "The Plennets".
Quote from: DaveF on April 23, 2022, 01:31:06 PM
Thanks for that, Jeffrey - very interesting, and still moving nearly 90 years after the events. Remarkable as well that Howells, a builder's son from the Forest of Dean, also spoke in that cut-glass accent - "The Plennets".
Yes, very true Dave!
Holst most definitely is not a one-hit wonder! Just because the classical elite haven't bothered to explore his oeuvre in any kind of depth, doesn't make him a one-hit wonder. With works like the Choral Symphony, Japanese Suite, both Military Suites, Egdon Heath, The Hymn of Jesus et. al., I'm constantly surprised whenever I hear something from him, because, in most cases, it's always inventive and well-crafted. He had a wonderful imagination and style. It's too bad many people don't hear this or see what else he composed.
But can it be a hit if it's virtually unknown by music lovers? There are quite a number of composers writing very good works nobody knows. Are they still hits?
Quote from: The new erato on April 23, 2022, 08:13:09 PM
But can it be a hit if it's virtually unknown by music lovers? There are quite a number of composers writing very good works nobody knows. Are they still hits?
Good point and this is why I feel people getting into Holst need to look beyond
The Planets. There's just so much more there, but this could be said of many well-known composers. The unknown composers don't have this problem. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on April 23, 2022, 08:16:46 PM
Good point and this is why I feel people getting into Holst need to look beyond The Planets. There's just so much more there, but this could be said of many well-known composers. The unknown composers don't have this problem. :)
I very much agree John - his other work has been overshadowed by the popularity of The Planets. In particular the First Choral Symphony (although there was no second one), The Perfect Fool Ballet Music, Egdon Heath, The Hymn of Jesus, Hammersmith, Beni Mora, Suites for Military Band and The Cloud Messenger etc.
Quote from: vandermolen on April 23, 2022, 11:16:42 PM
I very much agree John - his other work has been overshadowed by the popularity of The Planets. In particular the First Choral Symphony (although there was no second one), The Perfect Fool Ballet Music, Egdon Heath, The Hymn of Jesus, Hammersmith, Beni Mora, Suites for Military Band and The Cloud Messenger etc.
Absolutely! As a fan of Holst's "other" works, I can happily say that these people who only know
The Planets are sorely missing out on some amazing works.
Maybe The Planets could be considered Holst's masterpiece, but it definitely isn't the only great work he composed: for example, A Somerset Rhapsody, The Golden Goose, Indra, Two Songs without Words, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Egdon Heath and the St. Paul's Suite are absolutely brilliant, beautiful compositions.
Holst had an amazing ability of orchestration, with bold chords, colourful timbric variations and a fine use of the expressive possibilities of the English folk songs; his music is simple, yet at the same time deep and evocative. It's rather sad that he is mostly remembered just for one of his works, because he was more than that.
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on April 25, 2022, 05:36:29 AM
Maybe The Planets could be considered Holst's masterpiece, but it definitely isn't the only great work he composed: for example, A Somerset Rhapsody, The Golden Goose, Indra, Two Songs without Words, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Egdon Heath and the St. Paul's Suite are absolutely brilliant, beautiful compositions.
Holst had an amazing ability of orchestration, with bold chords, colourful timbric variations and a fine use of the expressive possibilities of the English folk songs; his music is simple, yet at the same time deep and evocative. It's rather sad that he is mostly remembered just for one of his works, because he was more than that.
I quite agree, Ilaria. All of those works you mentioned are gorgeous.
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on April 25, 2022, 05:36:29 AM
Maybe The Planets could be considered Holst's masterpiece, but it definitely isn't the only great work he composed: for example, A Somerset Rhapsody, The Golden Goose, Indra, Two Songs without Words, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Egdon Heath and the St. Paul's Suite are absolutely brilliant, beautiful compositions.
Holst had an amazing ability of orchestration, with bold chords, colourful timbric variations and a fine use of the expressive possibilities of the English folk songs; his music is simple, yet at the same time deep and evocative. It's rather sad that he is mostly remembered just for one of his works, because he was more than that.
+1
Quote from: vandermolen on April 22, 2022, 01:04:55 PM
Copied over from VW thread:
I just listened to a fascinating piece of archive material which was broadcast during the interval of the concert in Manchester last night (21/04). It features Vaughan Williams, in his characteristic upper class accent talking about Gustav Holst and (after Holst's 'Moorside Suite') the composer Herbert Howells talking about Holst. At one time Holst, VW and Howells taught at St Paul's Girl's School in Hammersmith, London. Towards the end of his life Holst turned up unexpectedly one Saturday night, at Howells's front door seemingly very ill. Howells invited Holst to join him and his wife for supper but Holst refused and said that he'd go up to Howells's study to look at manuscripts. By chance there was a Prom being broadcast that night featuring 'The Planets'. Howells invited Holst to come downstairs to listen to the broadcast of 'The Planets' but Holst said that he did not want to hear it! However he eventually came down to listen and when the audience spontaneously started singing the big tune in the middle of 'Jupiter' ('I Vow to thee My Country') Howells noticed that tears were streaming down Holst's face. At the end Holst left them saying that he didn't suppose that they would see him much more and he died shortly afterwards. The extract is after the broadcast of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 9, about 37 minutes into the broadcast and the Howells reminiscences are played after Holst's 'Moorside Suite':
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00169jf
Beautiful and poignant.
I listened to RVW's A Sea Symphony yesterday - recorded by Slatkin / Philharmonia - and was struck by a passage very near the end which had much similarity (in Slatkin's expansive reading) to Holst's Neptune - the gently rocking orchestra, the muted chorus murmuring a suspended chord. Sea Symphony, 1909 - Planets, 1917. Both pieces of music attempt to depict, I suppose, allusions to 'the sea', 'outer space', and 'metaphysics'.
Neptune the sea god, the planet, the mystic.
In the Sea Symphony it's more explicit, in Whitman's words - "Greater than stars or suns, Bounding O soul thou journeyest forth" etc etc.
Quote from: aukhawk on April 27, 2022, 12:36:51 AM
I listened to RVW's A Sea Symphony yesterday - recorded by Slatkin / Philharmonia - and was struck by a passage very near the end which had much similarity (in Slatkin's expansive reading) to Holst's Neptune - the gently rocking orchestra, the muted chorus murmuring a suspended chord. Sea Symphony, 1909 - Planets, 1917. Both pieces of music attempt to depict, I suppose, allusions to 'the sea', 'outer space', and 'metaphysics'.
Neptune the sea god, the planet, the mystic.
In the Sea Symphony it's more explicit, in Whitman's words - "Greater than stars or suns, Bounding O soul thou journeyest forth" etc etc.
The Sea Symphony is one of those very rare vocal works where I relish the text almost as much as the music. The passage you mention has a lambent, levitating quality where VW's music perfectly echoes Whitman's poetry.
Yes. I conducted unbiased research on Discogs and found no results for Holst Greatest Hits. Other composers have fared better. ;D
(https://i.discogs.com/ai0uteBMzMorq7pNQZettsKyuDtXeCwEWEDNGlIG8fs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:580/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIzNDQ0/MDctMTUxMzY4NDY4/Ny01NTYyLmpwZWc.jpeg)