Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
21 used & new from £5.68
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Available to Download Now
 
Buy the MP3 album for £6.98
  
 
 
 
Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations

~ London Philharmonic (Conductor), Sir Adrian Boult (Orchestra), London Symphony Orchestra (Artist)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
Price: £6.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 9 to 11 days.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

14 new from £5.68 5 used from £5.69 2 collectible from £6.97
Buy the MP3 album for £6.98 at the Amazon MP3 Downloads store.

Frequently Bought Together

Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations + Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Overture 'Cockaigne' + Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Concertos RV257, 376 & 211
Price For All Three: £21.43

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Overture 'Cockaigne'

Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Overture 'Cockaigne'

~ Sir Edward Elgar
4.8 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.98
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons/Concertos

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons/Concertos

~ Antonio Vivaldi
£5.98
Handel: Water/Fireworks Music

Handel: Water/Fireworks Music

~ Georg Friederich Handel
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £5.98
Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Concertos RV257, 376 & 211

Vivaldi: Four Seasons & Concertos RV257, 376 & 211

~ Antonio Vivaldi
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £7.47
Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites

Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites

~ Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
4.8 out of 5 stars (6)  £5.78
› Explore similar items

Product details

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
BBC Proms 2009
   www.bbc.co.uk/proms/    Watch your favourite stars perform live at the Proms. Book tickets now 
London Symphony Orchestra
   www.arkivmusic.com    Buy them at ArkivMusic.com. Every recording in print available. 
Opera Events in London
   www.GreatPerformers.org.uk    The Great Performers Season at the Barbican, London. Find out more. 
  
 

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Extraits
Song TitleArtist Time Price
Listen  1. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): Theme (Andante)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:22£0.69
Listen  2. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): I. C.A.E. (the composer's wife) (L'istesso tempo)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:52£0.69
Listen  3. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): II. H.D.S.-P. ( Hew David Steuart-Powell) (Allegro)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult0:46£0.69
Listen  4. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): III. R.B.T. (Richard Baxter Townshend) (Allegretto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:27£0.69
Listen  5. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): IV. W.M.B. (William Meath Baker) (Allegro di molto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult0:28£0.69
Listen  6. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): V. R.P.A. (Richard Penrose Arnold) (Presto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:54£0.69
Listen  7. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): VI. Ysobel (Isabel Fitton) (Andantino)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:11£0.69
Listen  8. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): VII. Troyte (Troyte Griffith) (Presto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult0:56£0.69
Listen  9. Variations On An Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): VIII. W.N. (Winifred Norbury) (Allegretto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 1:43£0.69
Listen10. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): IX. Nimrod (A. J. Jaeger) (Moderato)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 3:53£0.69
Listen11. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): X. Intermezzo: Dorabella (Dora Penny) (Allegretto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 2:52£0.69
Listen12. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): XI. G.R.S. (George Robertson Sinclair) (Allegro di molto)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult0:58£0.69
Listen13. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): XII. B.G.N. (Basil G. Nevinson) (Andante)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 2:20£0.69
Listen14. Variations On An Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): XIII. Romanza: * * * [Lady Mary Lygon] (Moderato)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 2:33£0.69
Listen15. Variations on an Original Theme 'Enigma' Op. 36 (2001 Digital Remaster): XIV. Finale: E.D.U. (the composer) (Allegro)London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 5:46£0.69
Listen16. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Mars, the Bringer of War (Allegro)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 8:02£1.89
Listen17. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Venus, the Bringer of Peace (Adagio)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 7:26£1.89
Listen18. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Mercury, the Winged Messenger (Vivace)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 3:48£0.69
Listen19. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (Allegro giouoso)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 7:59£1.89
Listen20. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age (Adagio)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 8:22£1.89
Listen21. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Uranus, the Magician (Allegro)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult 6:26£0.69
Listen22. The Planets, Op. 32 (2001 Digital Remaster): Neptune, the Mystic (Andante)London Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Adrian Boult/Geoffrey Mitchell Choir 6:22£0.69

On this CD:
  1. Variations on an Original Theme, 'Enigma'
    Composed by Sir Edward Elgar
    Conducted by Adrian Boult

  2. (The) Planets
    Composed by Gustav Holst
    Conducted by Adrian Boult

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
(1)
See all 4 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive recording of Holst's master work, 28 Jul 2003
Boult was the first to conduct Holst's planet suite at the tender age of 29. After hearing this, much later, reading of the suite (recorded in 1978) it's easy to see why Holst had such faith in the young conductor’s ability to realise his score.

The LPO are on fine form here, and Boult’s orchestral discipline is second to none.
The whole recording has been remastered at Abbey Road studios. While sceptical of remasters being overly processed, this is definitely not the case here. The sound quality is superb, displaying depth, resonance, detail and warmth. The instruments are beautifully imaged and, in particular, the dissonance of the trumpet is reproduced perfectly.

While some feel that the tempi of this reading is too plodding (Mars is particularly slow) or too heavy (for a lighter interpretation, Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra are a good bet), I feel both are perfect and really emphasise the drama of the pieces.
In particular, the minimal use of thematic content (sometimes just one or two notes/chords) during Jupiter benefits from Boult’s pace, helping to create the sense of the ethereal that no composer but Holst seems to have mastered.

As a bonus, the CD also features an excellent reading of Elgars’s Enigma Variations. Together with the Hoslt recording, these performances display the deep understanding he had of the music and the "Englishness" of his friend’s works.

If you don’t already own the Planet Suite, I would highly recommend this excellent CD and will guarantee your enjoyment of it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, 8 Jan 2006
By Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane "almac1975" (Fife, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I don't think there is a better CD of English classics than this one. Rob Cowan chose Boult's 'Enigma' as the best available version the last time the work was reviewed on Radio 3's CD Review. It is a performance that manages to balance all the different moods and characters of the musical pictures of Elgar's 'friends pictured within' quite beautifully, and the sound is excellent 1970s analogue. Boult was the first man to conduct 'The Planets' and recorded it five times, and this is probably the best performance and certainly the best recording.
From start to finish it is a joy. I find it amazing that a man who was - what? - well on in his 80s when he made this could produce an interpretation of such energy and poetry, but so it is. An unmissable CD.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars As Holst intended?, 19 Jul 2007
By M. Maxwell (Runcorn, Cheshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This version of The Planets has replaced my recent LSO version.
Why? Well, the balance between the contributing elements is the best i've heard so far: The bass is thunderous analogue and the high woodwind/strings are like crystal in equal measure. This is a superb achievement and exceptionally important for, 'large orchestra' where Dynamics become a recording engineer's delight or problem depending on how good they are. And these people are the best: Abbey road have done a fantastic job on the remastering of a late 70's classic, although there is one thing they could never tackle: Is this as Holst intended?

Bolt was a friend of Holst and was given the opportunity to first conduct the piece; Bolt read and heard the original 'two piano' score and must have got the full S.P. from Holst? If this is so, then what we have here is close to the real deal?
OK, Bolt had five cracks at this recording before producing this last version, so we may have the advantage of decades of Bolt's polishing and highlighting the manifold textures one may hear in this genius of a masterpiece. It certainly sounds like it.

I was surprised to hear a faster 'Venus' than i think i have ever heard before, and 'Jupiter' is a bit nippy also. But i was also surprised at how quickly i accomodated these unexpected nuances and began to listen to the clarity of what was going on instead. I don't think i have ever before been able to hold so many themes and harmonies in one passing than i have experienced with this recording of The Planets because so much usualy becomes burried in the total wash. Not so here: the richness and variety of the score is available at all sonic levels.

Majestic stuff.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories rekindled
My father and grandfather were both musicians, and for both of them Nimrod was their favourite piece of music as it is mine. Read more
Published 4 months ago by RAMT

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful music
I was astonished by how much this music has inspired the composition of other great pieces of music - Mars is interpreted by John Williams as the Empire March or Darth Vader`s... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kevin Bransbury-jones

2.0 out of 5 stars not impressed
The style of the presentation of the pieces here could be described as majestic although a trifle slow for my taste. The style is in keeping with its time. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. Dc Fowler

5.0 out of 5 stars In a league of its own
Towering, majestic, commanding, bursting with passion and energy, these are thoroughly spirited performances of the Elgar variations and Holst's Planets, sublime recordings that... Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2007 by Mark R. Bannister

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, i moshed all night to this
At first i thought it was a bit heavy, but by the 2536327st time i'd heard this album i really started to like it. Read more
Published on 1 May 2007 by Liam Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Man Boult
I saw Sir Adrian Boult twice, at the Proms in the early 1970's. He was able only to conduct half the concert on each occasion: Brahms' 3rd Symphony and the Brahms Violin... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2006 by bm1729

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
This is a great CD, worth every penny. It is so good I bought another copy for my mother in law.
Published on 4 May 2005 by N Weller

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive recording of Holst's master work
Boult was the first to conduct Holst's planet suite at the tender age of 29. After hearing this, much later, reading of the suite (recorded in 1978) it's easy to see why Holst had... Read more
Published on 28 Jul 2003 by stuartcove

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations
83% buy the item featured on this page:
Holst: The Planets / Elgar: Enigma Variations 4.7 out of 5 stars (11)
£6.98
Holst: The Planets (LSO Davis)
10% buy
Holst: The Planets (LSO Davis) 4.3 out of 5 stars (7)
£4.89
Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Overture 'Cockaigne'
3% buy
Elgar: Cello Concerto; Sea Pictures; Overture 'Cockaigne' 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)
£6.98
Elgar : Enigma Variations/Holst : The Planets/Sir Adrian Boult
2% buy
Elgar : Enigma Variations/Holst : The Planets/Sir Adrian Boult 4.7 out of 5 stars (11)
£6.98
Explore similar items

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

  

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (72)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (462)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (162)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates