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Track Listings
| 1. Holst: The Planets: Mars The Bringer Of War |
| 2. Holst: The Planets: Venus The Bringer Of Peace - Laurence Rogers |
| 3. Holst: The Planets: Mercury The Winged Messenger |
| 4. Holst: The Planets: Jupiter The Bringer Of Jollity |
| 5. Holst: The Planets: Saturn The Bringer Of Old Age |
| 6. The Planets: Ste For Orch, Op.32, H.125: Uranus - The Magician |
| 7. The Planets: Ste For Orch, Op.32, H.125: Neptune - The Mystic |
| 8. Pluto - The Renewer |
| 9. Holst: Lyric Movement For Viola And Small Orchestra |
| 10. Neptune - The Mystic (With Original Ending) |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Interest in this recording of The Planets will naturally gravitate towards Colin Matthews' addition to Holst's masterwork. Emerging imperceptibly out of "Neptune", Matthews' "Pluto" proves a highly imaginative essay, full of Holstian allusions, and the closing bars are magical ("almost as if "Neptune" had been quietly continuing in the background", to quote the composer's own eloquent booklet-notes). As for Mark Elder's account of the main work, it has heaps to commend it, not least a newly minted quality, delectable rhythmic snap and keen intelligence that really make you sit up. "Jupiter" especially is paced to swaggering perfection, and Elder and his dapper band generate a riveting sense of spectacle throughout (the climax of "Uranus", with its stunning organ glissando, simply takes the breath away). Sensibly, Hyperion assigns "Neptune" a separate track at the end of the disc so that the listener can easily programme Holst's original scheme, and there's also a rapt performance of the 1933 Lyric Movement for viola and small orchestra, a late work of rarefied beauty. Boasting wonderfully realistic, beautifully balanced sonics (you'll need to listen at a slightly higher volume than usual for maximum impact), this is a winner all the way. --Andrew Achenbach
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Out of this world!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Holst: The Planets / Matthews: Pluto (Audio CD)
An outstanding first collaboration between Mark Elder and The Hallé Orchestra, this recording brings an eye-widening excitement to an 'old favourite' (Holst's Planets Suite). With the addition of 'Pluto', this production is as dynamic as one could hope for - from the menacing terror of 'Mars', the hauntingly ethereal 'Venus', through to the sheer vitality of 'Jupiter' - Elder evokes an enthusiastic performance from the orchestra, his control of dynamics, and structured approach to tempi pulling the separate movements together into a unified work. The variety of timbres and textures are enhanced beautifully by the 'bloom' provided by the Bridgwater Hall acoustic. By complete contrast, Lyric Movement's introspective quality invokes the subtlest and most delicate nuances from the players, the ambience created admirably from the very opening bars by Tim Pooley. His vibrant use of colours and stunning lyricism rendered this listener mute in admiration. (Wish I could play like that!)Bravo!!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
YES - But What's That Eighth Planet?,
By A listener (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Holst: The Planets / Matthews: Pluto (Audio CD)
I can't give this less than five stars for all the brilliance here. It's a great performance of Holst's well-known masterpiece The Planets, and a beautiful little-known one, the Lyric Movement. I have as yet, however, despite many listenings and keen inclination to hear what it's saying, not enjoyed/understood Colin Matthews' `addition' to Holst's planet suite - Pluto. To my ears and feelings Matthews' work is simply from a different palate. Notably perhaps, whilst Holst was somewhat taken with astrological connections, Matthews has downplayed this - oddly, as Holst's interest was known to be both whimsical and, after its own manner, serious. Significantly, Holst was uninclined to add to his Planets suite when in 1930 Pluto was discovered, and is known to have been disillusioned with how the suite's very popularity had eclipsed attention to his later works. Interestingly of course, Pluto has in recent years been re-classified - no longer considered a `planet' as such but a `dwarf planet'. Personally I don't like to see Matthews' Pluto added so often to the end of Holst's Planets. But what I'd love to hear with it would be a piece which might in some sense be heard as Holst's own final planet... Commissioned to write a symphony in 1927, Holst ended up with a tone poem: "Egdon Heath". He felt it one of very best works, as did his friend Vaughan Williams. I'd love to hear a live performance of the Planets suite followed by something which really comes from the same heart, the same `inner palate' - Holst's - and is the closest Holst came to composing "Earth..." Holst's Egdon Heath, along with his Planet Suite, is so profoundly beautiful - subtle, magnificent, awesome yet unassuming, as if written by the gods/nature themselves/itself. Matthews' Pluto piece, on the other hand, somehow echoes with a false note, as if of man's artifice, folly, presumption - of presuming to say more when a thing has already been wholly, perfectly, said; of his potential to speak when he has little actually to say; of gilding the lily, or worse. This is not to denigrate Matthews' other work at all.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
High quality stuff - Pluto is good, but different.,
By S Smith (birdseye@zoom.co.uk) (Yorkshire, Britain) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Holst: The Planets / Matthews: Pluto (Audio CD)
Having been to the premiere performance of Pluto, up at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, I was very eager to buy the recording, as the new movement adds a whole new angle to the ending and was very impressive to hear the first time around. When I bought this CD from Amazon, I was not disappointed. That said, after hearing Mars and Venus, the first two movements, I was not impressed (Mars feeling somewhat timid, and Venus was poorly conducted and sped up to a ridiculous pace at the 3-4 section which completely ruined the mellow mood it is meant to create. However, after the initial two bad movements things improved a great deal. Mercury was good, as bright and swift as ever. Jupiter was also very well conducted, although I did prefer Kent Nagano's version of the famous theme in the middle, as the second verse was softer than the first - very effective. Saturn is definatly very good in this version, creating a very atmospheric mood with the minimalist textures at the end. This edition of Uranus has to be the best of all the ones in existence, very fast,loud and angry, and superbly conducted. Neptune seems a little too fast, but still retains it's haunting and mystic quality with great effect. Pluto is as good as the live performance, and gives something new to the suite. The new movement starts as Neptune is fading away, and is quite odd to anyone familiar with the suite. It is much more atonal and the time signature is indistinct. It reminds me of The Rite of Spring, and other similar works. The Lyric movement is a very nice addition, which I had not heard before, but is a beautiful sound. All in all, the CD is a success, a version of the Planets that I would recommend to anyone who wants to buy a copy of the suite. Although Mars and Venus are not good, the rest of the movements and the lyric piece are very good and earn the album it's 5 stars.
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