GMG Classical Music Forum

Vote for your three favourite movements from Holst's masterpiece/best known work!

Shall start it off with:
Venus - absolutely beautiful, with such subtle chamber like textures.
Uranus - Great fun! So thrilling and brilliant!
Neptune - Mysterious and magical, an absolutely perfect ending....

I am playing in the orchestra for this piece which will result in a concert performance next Saturday. I have to say that it is absolutely amazing to play, but very challenging to rehearse. Many many difficulties such as finding the best way to handle the offstage choir in Neptune. Together we rehearsed many different ways to try and find the best, most effective for this spectacular part, and I am literally tacet in that movement, so just sat back and absorbed all those beautiful, ghostly textures... Such a masterpiece!

Saturn, Neptune, Venus - I prefer the atmospheric movements, I guess. Neptune in particular just because it's so attractive, but the Saturn movement I find inscrutable and more "planetary" than most of the others.

Mars, Uranus, Neptune.  Ask again tomorrow and you might get three different ones.  And thanks for the thread, reminding me that I'm long overdue for a hearing--it's probably been at least a couple of years!

The Planets is one of my favourite works of all time, such a masterpiece! :)

I voted for: Venus (so beautiful and evocative), Jupiter (really enchanting and enjoyable) and Uranus (very expressive and and overwhelming). 

I wonder how many votes Mercury will end up getting - I have yet to feel quite such a strong identity from it as its stablemates all enjoy.

Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevna Pettersson on November 06, 2011, 10:42:51 AM
I wonder how many votes Mercury will end up getting - I have yet to feel quite such a strong identity from it as its stablemates all enjoy.

I can see what you mean - I could probably actually call it my least favourite of the movements. Still a delightful little piece though!

Thank you for your responses - keep them coming! :)

David, before I started rehearsing the Planets with an orchestra, I too had not listened to it for years! :( Great fun playing it now though! :)

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on November 06, 2011, 10:37:41 AM
The Planets is one of my favourite works of all time, such a masterpiece! :)

What a pity it has cast a shadow on the other Holst's pieces; he wrote so many beautiful compositions, apart from The Planets.....

I go for the more robust pieces:

Mars - pure brilliance. First in 5/4 time, it is often quite difficult for most people to figure out the rhythms.  But as the Bringer of War, it is ideal and  appropriately grand. There is nothing like Steinberg in this one. Absolutely nothing (the brass are stunning). I can listen to this always (though too often and I will find myself in the 'get the song out of my head' thread). When he comes back to the way it started at about the 4 minute mark - pure heaven.

Jupiter - This has all the majesty and mystery one could hope for. The use of the horns here is most satisfying.

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on November 06, 2011, 11:04:02 AM
What a pity it has cast a shadow on the other Holst's pieces; he wrote so many beautiful compositions, apart from The Planets.....

Indeed! I was listening to an 'off air' cd-r of the complete BBC studio recording of his opera 'The Perfect Fool',the other day. Fascinating to hear the ballet music and it's famous themes and motifs in their original setting. Not a masterpiece,but very enjoyable & Holsts use of the orchestra is often very exciting. Time for a complete cd recording!
Incidentally,the once popular ballet music doesn't seem to get many new recordings these days.

As to the Planets. I think my favourite movement is probably Uranus. Favourite recording. Holsts own acoustic recording. The sound might not be hi fi,but it oozes menace and atmosphere. A bit spooky late at night!

Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevna Pettersson on November 06, 2011, 10:08:31 AM
Saturn, Neptune, Venus - I prefer the atmospheric movements, I guess. Neptune in particular just because it's so attractive, but the Saturn movement I find inscrutable and more "planetary" than most of the others.

My choice too... love Saturn

Saturn as well! The bringer of old age. The last time I was at my parents (who are 78) I asked them (jokingly!),'What's it like being old?' 'Is it like Holst's Saturn? I kept doing that grim march theme.
Poor me. I thought I was being so funny! :o

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on November 06, 2011, 11:04:02 AM
What a pity it has cast a shadow on the other Holst's pieces; he wrote so many beautiful compositions, apart from The Planets.....

Holst certainly did write other great music - but The Planets has to be his main masterpiece!

Quote from: BobsterLobster on November 06, 2011, 11:30:46 AM
My choice too... love Saturn

Saturn is amazing! Would have been my 4th choice! ;)

Quote from: madaboutmahler on November 06, 2011, 11:51:55 AM
Holst certainly did write other great music - but The Planets has to be his main masterpiece!

Anyway that's curious, although it was his greatest success, Holst didn't consider The Planets his main masterpiece, but Egdon Heath.

Quote from: Lisztianwagner on November 06, 2011, 12:00:57 PM
Anyway that's curious, although it was his greatest success, Holst didn't consider The Planets his main masterpiece, but Egdon Heath.

That certainly is interesting, and 'Egdon Heath' is certainly an amazing piece! It's also amazing to realize that 'The Planets' was not even written to a commission!

Quote from: Lethe Dmitriyevna Pettersson on November 06, 2011, 10:42:51 AM
I wonder how many votes Mercury will end up getting - I have yet to feel quite such a strong identity from it as its stablemates all enjoy.

I was thinking of voting for Mercury. What ingenious scoring it enjoys, and what compactness: probably the best Mendelssohn scherzo since Mendelssohn!

I voted for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, although I'm quite moved by Venus as well. I love the way Jupiter starts off. It's like a quick jolt of lightning. 8)

Let me add that I don't listen to The Planets that much. I've only actually listened to it maybe a dozen times. To be honest, I seldom even listen to Holst's music. I don't find his music all that interesting. His friend, RVW, on the other hand, is one of my favorite composers. There's so much music that I do like that I'm finding that I would much rather listen to something I enjoy than listen to something I find just "okay."

When you next watch Spielberg's Jaws, notice how much of the music is a Planets rip-off.

Uranus - GuStAv Holst. Holst played the trombone you know. But you were probably aware of that.

Quote from: Brian on November 06, 2011, 12:19:49 PM
I was thinking of voting for Mercury. What ingenious scoring it enjoys, and what compactness: probably the best Mendelssohn scherzo since Mendelssohn!

Mercury still has no votes! :(

Keep on voting everyone! :)

John, I love Jupiter as well, always brings a smile to my face! :)
I find quite a lot of Holst's music to be very interesting - Beni Mora for example. The Hymn of Jesus is another favourite work of his. The Planets is always a piece I love to return to, really is a great piece.

For anyone looking for more Holst beyond the Planets, I think I would first recommend the Military Suites for band. Telarc have a good version is fantastic sound (Fennell).
[asin]B000003CSE[/asin]

After that, here are a few that might interest you:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a2tPmWy3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GPi9H%2BfgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MNMOeq4tL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

Without knowing it had no votes as yet, I took pity on Mercury and gave it my 3rd vote. The quicksilver bitonality and scintillating string passages, along with the gorgeous Scheherazade-like moment in the Trio is an example of Holst's masterly scoring.

Uranus and Neptune were my 1st and 2nd – though I'd vote for all seven movements given a chance!

Thanks Dax for pointing out the thematicisation of GTvH's name.

Neptune is astonishingly voluptuous and austere – I love the rich bitonal chords in the middle section. It's also a piece I've sung in concert – no one can really tell you're not a female when singing in an off-stage women's double chorus. :D

The one disc that made me aware that Holst was moere than a one hit composer (and I truly don't find the Planets that interesting), was this disc:

[asin]B004I65C6Y[/asin]

It prompted an expansion of my Holst collection that proved to be well worth it. The Fennell disc is marvelous, I've had it since LP days, and for years I considered his Suites for military orchestra his greatest music. Now that position belongs to Savitri. 

Jupiter
then Mars
then probably Neptune - but I'm not quite sure - Uranos may be my other choice.

Quote from: Dax on November 07, 2011, 12:44:30 AM
When you next watch Spielberg's Jaws, notice how much of the music is a Planets rip-off.

"Jaws" sounds more like the beginning of the 4th movement of Dvorak's Ninth to me.