Album available // Holst: The Planets, Op. 36 by Herbert von Karajan 🎧 Qobuz (Hi-Res) bit.ly/48ezIjP Tidal (Hi-Res) bit.ly/3dIzpr4 🎧 Deezer (Hi-Fi) bit.ly/3dNPUCs Amazon Music (Hi-Res) amzn.to/3wnRbsU 🎧 Spotify (mp3) spoti.fi/3OMOkjh CZcams Music (mp4) bit.ly/3FT6yKQ 🎧 Pandora, Anghami, QQ音乐, LineMusic 日本… Gustav Holst (1874-1934) The Planets, Op. 36 by Herbert von Karajan / Remastered 00:00 I. Mars, the Bringer of War - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 07:00 II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 15:19 III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 19:16 IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 26:51 V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 35:22 VI. Uranus, the Magician - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) 41:08 VII. Neptune, the Mystic - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961) Wiener Philharmoniker Wiener Staatsopernchor Conductor: Herbert von Karajan Recorded in 1961 New mastering in 2022 by AB for CMRR 🔊 FOLLOW US on SPOTIFY (Profil: CMRR) : spoti.fi/3016eVr 🔊 Download CMRR's recordings in High fidelity audio (QOBUZ) : bit.ly/370zcMg ❤ If you like CM//RR content, please consider membership at our Patreon page. Thank you :) www.patreon.com/cmrr THE PLANETS, OP.36 I. Mars (Allegro) opens with an ominous rhythmic calm, the armies gather and the frenzy builds. When the force of the music is unleashed on the brass, its violence and brutality are of a kind previously unknown in English music, a rite not of spring but of Armageddon. Some effects never lose their power of surprise: the evil fanfare of the euphonium, for example, and the great discord that ends up temporarily halting the assault. A slower section is haunted by the martial rhythm; the allegro returns with heightened, almost hysterical ferocity, ending with grating chords. II. Venus (Adagio). A horn call is answered by flutes in that cool, high register that is a Holst trademark. "Rocking" chords for harps and strings establish a mood of distant calm. A key change to F sharp brings a melodic violin solo that is developed by the strings against woodwind chords. An exquisite oboe solo brings a human warmth to the scene. It is repeated by other woodwinds and strings before the rocking chords return and the movement ends with a pattern of exquisite sounds from celesta, horns, harps and winds. III. Mercury (Vivace) is a scherzo, 'fleet of foot' and requiring a very deft and alert staccato played by strings and woodwind. The trio section suggests that this particular winged messenger carries a message from Scheherazade. IV. Jupiter (Allegro giocoso) brings its gaiety in C major. This is the most popular movement in every sense of the word. Its jovial opening and the cooing dance tune of the horns suggest to many ears a typically English scene, but there is also, it seems to me, a flavor of Spanish caprice. The great central aria (andante maestoso) has an Elgarian solemnity, but it is noteworthy that in the coda, when it struggles in the bass to regain the ascendancy, it is overwhelmed by festive superficialities. V. Saturn (Adagio) was the composer's favorite and, along with Mars, is the most original movement. One can almost feel the pain of Holst's neuritis in the first 26 bars, when the flutes and harps slowly intone two syncopated chords under which, in the double basses, a theme emerges with a shuddering menace. A majestic march for trombones with pizzicato accompaniment leads to an adagio for four flutes that begins a long crescendo, culminating in a clang of bells as the brass intones the main (bass) theme. The coda is mysteriously subdued, a mosaic of chimes and ripples. VI. Uranus (Allegro). The trumpets and trombones pronounce a spell and trigger the usual musical apparatus of magic and fright - staccato bassoons, xylophone and tuba. This sorcerer is a close relative of Dukas's apprentice, and his family tree goes back to Berlioz's witches. He also has a kind of regimented march with accents that his own apprentices threaten to take over until he stops them with a C chord and organ glissando. VII. Neptune (Andante). This pianissimo finale is very delicately scored. Musically, it falls within the orbit of Ravel and Ravel-influenced parts of Vaughan Williams, which may explain why VW admired it and felt its quiet power so intensely. It is constructed of fragments that coalesce into one long, indeterminate melody. Toward the end, the wordless vocals of the female voices blend into the texture (and pose difficult intonation problems). The fading voices are the last sounds to reach us from that distant planet, but the chords they sing resonate in many later works. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 by H.V. Karajan 🎧 Qobuz bit.ly/3qN3SIc Tidal bit.ly/3tSxhD3 🎧 Spotify spoti.fi/358dZPu CZcams Music bit.ly/3rNBSU2 🎧 Apple Music - Amazon Music amzn.to/3Arkfxm 🎧 Deezer bit.ly/3g8E0Rf Amazon Store amzn.to/3qXkkWF 🎧 Napster bit.ly/3fTt4Xi Soundcloud bit.ly/3488iRm 🎧 LineMusic日本 bit.ly/3488Wyg Awa日本 mf.awa.fm/342l7wv
Hey, Classical Music / Reference Recording person - do you write the text for these videos of yours? I keep running into your channel, and I keep being so impressed with the text under the videos. Thank you so much for uploading all the great recordings, in any case.
@@not2tees Thanks for your feedback, we draw our comments from our collection books, record booklets when they are relevant and some research on the internet.
Supongo que es cuestión de gustos... pero a mí me gusta más la de William (Hans-Wilhelm) Steinberg. Y conste que a mí me gusta Karajan en general como director.
@@aguador67 I've never heard Steinberg conduct this piece, so I'll have to check it out. I've heard Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Bernard Haitnik conduct Holst's "The Planets". Haitnik's version is dull, uninspired, and insipid. Bernstein's is okay. von Karajan is the best I've personally heard.
Wunderschöne und spannende Interpretation dieser spätromantischen und perfekt komponierten Suite mit seidigen Tönen aller Streicher, milden Tönen aller Holzbläser und vor allem brillanten Tönen aller Blechbläser. Der vierte Satz klingt besonders schön und echt majestätisch. Der intelligente und unvergleichliche Maestro dirigiert das weltklassige Orchester in verschiedenen Tempi und mit möglichst effektiver Dynamik. Zweifellos eine der zehn besten Aufführungen dieses Meisterwerks im 20. Jahrhundert!
So viele Worthülsen, die eigentlich herzlich wenig aussagen - ich will Ihnen ja nicht Ihren Enthusiasmus versalzen, aber dieser Kommentar transportiert weniger Emotion als vielmehr intellektuelle Leere. „Spätromantisch“? Das Wort wird ja generell ohne Unterschied auf einen riesigen Zeitraum übertragen, aber hier kann man so deutlich wie selten sagen: mit Romantik hat diese Musik rein gar nichts zu tun.
THE PLANETS, OP.36 I. Mars (Allegro) opens with an ominous rhythmic calm, the armies gather and the frenzy builds. When the force of the music is unleashed on the brass, its violence and brutality are of a kind previously unknown in English music, a rite not of spring but of Armageddon. Some effects never lose their power of surprise: the evil fanfare of the euphonium, for example, and the great discord that ends up temporarily halting the assault. A slower section is haunted by the martial rhythm; the allegro returns with heightened, almost hysterical ferocity, ending with grating chords. II. Venus (Adagio). A horn call is answered by flutes in that cool, high register that is a Holst trademark. "Rocking" chords for harps and strings establish a mood of distant calm. A key change to F sharp brings a melodic violin solo that is developed by the strings against woodwind chords. An exquisite oboe solo brings a human warmth to the scene. It is repeated by other woodwinds and strings before the rocking chords return and the movement ends with a pattern of exquisite sounds from celesta, horns, harps and winds. III. Mercury (Vivace) is a scherzo, 'fleet of foot' and requiring a very deft and alert staccato played by strings and woodwind. The trio section suggests that this particular winged messenger carries a message from Scheherazade. IV. Jupiter (Allegro giocoso) brings its gaiety in C major. This is the most popular movement in every sense of the word. Its jovial opening and the cooing dance tune of the horns suggest to many ears a typically English scene, but there is also, it seems to me, a flavor of Spanish caprice. The great central aria (andante maestoso) has an Elgarian solemnity, but it is noteworthy that in the coda, when it struggles in the bass to regain the ascendancy, it is overwhelmed by festive superficialities. V. Saturn (Adagio) was the composer's favorite and, along with Mars, is the most original movement. One can almost feel the pain of Holst's neuritis in the first 26 bars, when the flutes and harps slowly intone two syncopated chords under which, in the double basses, a theme emerges with a shuddering menace. A majestic march for trombones with pizzicato accompaniment leads to an adagio for four flutes that begins a long crescendo, culminating in a clang of bells as the brass intones the main (bass) theme. The coda is mysteriously subdued, a mosaic of chimes and ripples. VI. Uranus (Allegro). The trumpets and trombones pronounce a spell and trigger the usual musical apparatus of magic and fright - staccato bassoons, xylophone and tuba. This sorcerer is a close relative of Dukas's apprentice, and his family tree goes back to Berlioz's witches. He also has a kind of regimented march with accents that his own apprentices threaten to take over until he stops them with a C chord and organ glissando. VII. Neptune (Andante). This pianissimo finale is very delicately scored. Musically, it falls within the orbit of Ravel and Ravel-influenced parts of Vaughan Williams, which may explain why VW admired it and felt its quiet power so intensely. It is constructed of fragments that coalesce into one long, indeterminate melody. Toward the end, the wordless vocals of the female voices blend into the texture (and pose difficult intonation problems). The fading voices are the last sounds to reach us from that distant planet, but the chords they sing resonate in many later works. 🔊 FOLLOW US on SPOTIFY (Profil: CMRR) : spoti.fi/3016eVr 🔊 Download CMRR's recordings in High fidelity audio (QOBUZ) : bit.ly/370zcMg ❤ If you like CM//RR content, please consider membership at our Patreon page. Thank you :) www.patreon.com/cmrr
I purchased this CD about 35 years ago and for almost a full year, I listened to it virtually every day. I have many more classical cds in my collection now, but this one, this particular version...even with the sound of traffic passing by outside,... remains my favorite.
This is one of the best musical pieces in the history of music, written by a composer who doesn't get enough credit. Although he didn't write many masterpieces like this one, but one is also enough.
Holst's music in general has been undeservedly neglected by the industry. I beg to differ to the fact that he suppossedly wrote few masterpieces: Hegdon Heath; Suits for Military Band no.1 and 2; The Wandering Scholar; The Cloud Messenger and Savitri deserve to be qualified as such. There is one piece though that in my view is superior to The Planets: The Hymn of Jesus ( one of the very greatest choral masterpieces, not only of the 20th century, but of all time).
@@schmuelschperling1459 First of all, I must anticipate I don't think it is the greatest choral work of all time (but rather, of the 20th century, paired with Duruflé's requiem, Lili Boulanger "De Profundis"; Britten War Requiem; Rachmaninoff's All time Vigil; Schnittke's Choir Concerto; Poulenc's Figure Humaine and Honegger Jean of Arc at the stake, though this one be an oratorio). It is always risky to make sweeping comments of what is best or not. But overall, melodically, it alternates gregorian chants (pange lingua, vexilla regis) with mind-numbingly (often quite taxing) choral writing and harmony (some passages even predate aleatorism; and as would be expected of a piece like this, there is a lot of counterpoint, politonality, whole tone clusters...). The orchestration is glorious; there are rapturous, almost extatic passages that translate exquisitely into music the Gnostic source material.
33:40 after all that obscure and psychotic atmosphere, this moment is incredibly.... I just can't find the right words to describe what it makes me feel.... it's so beautiful, it's like finding peace in the after life... 34:20 that strings just go through all my existence
Same for me the past 50 years... it's where the grand organ pedal enters with the chordal reinforcement & his shimmering sonorities above. And the chime tone at the end... I've always thought Holst here was showing how our last days may reveal some type of "celestial presence" (Heaven?)... welcoming the Soul "Home".
Well, actually George Lucas wanted to use classical music in Star Wars, the same way Stanley Kubrick did for 2001: A Space Oddysey, but Lucas was convinced by Steven Spielberg to work with John Williams, Lucas played Holst's Planets as "temporary tracks" to give Williams an idea about what he wanted the score to sound like, there's even a track called "Dune Sea" which sounds similar to Stravisnky's Rite of Spring, specifically the introduction of part 2. Later in the next Star Wars movies, Williams had more creative freedom. I think it's because of that familiarity that I love this work so much 🪐🌠🌠🌠🌝🚀🚀🚀
@@jesustovar2549I can definitely parts from Mars where a massive space battle erupts and an admiral yells “everyone to your battles stations!” followed by a montage of everyone running and arming themselves and fighters taking flight
There are many recorded performances of The Planets with more sonic depth, better recorded sound, better intonation, and a tighter overall ensemble, but of the numerous recordings I have of this piece, this has always been my favorite. Sure, there's some clams in a few places, von Karajan often ignores Holst's dynamics, and near the end of 'Mars' the orchestra gets away from him for several bars, but there is more raw power packed into that performance than any other I know. Despite all the flaws, I still find it convincing.
I OWN A COPY OF THIE 1961 ORIGINAL VINYL LP. NOT THIS REMASTERED VERSION; ALTHOUGH, i'LL PROBABLY BUY IT, FOR COMPARISON.. I THINK MOST PEOPLE WILL STILL PREFER THEIR ORIGINAL PURCHASE. REPLAY QUALITY CONSIDERED.
listening to this renowned work, where the imperialistic airs of British snobbish self-assuredness pervade, conducted by a German maestro and performed by a excellent Austrian orchestra, elicits a certain sense of delight.
Well perhaps if you listen to it played by a British orchestra ( the Royal Philharmonic ) and conducted by a British conductor ( Sir Charles Groves ) you will hear how it SHOULD be played.
Eat your hearts out vK haters, this was Holst's favourite recording. vK's Saturn with the BPO in a later recording is one of the greatest performances of anything on record. AND, I many add, it wouldn't have been too long after this that some poindexter-pencil neck-balloon head at Decca decided to give Bohm the credit for 2001, instead of Karajan, causing vK to turn his back for good on Decca, the result of this was we were left without that brillian Decca sound for future vK recordings. As a Canadian this was a critical issue for me as a music lover/collector. The Canadian pressings of DGG and EMI (Angel) were garbage LPs. Hiss, mush, no bass and awful midrange. When heard on a clean pressing, the clarity and the sound of orchestral balance was there. It was frustrating times in the 60s and 70s for a teen/young adult looking for great records.
I understand you like this recording, and so do I, but....how could a recording made in 1961 be the favorite of Holst, who inconveniently died in 1934? 🙂
@@kurtkaufman Yes, Holst's daughter. In my zeal I had slipped on that banana peel. I blame it on Hurwitz because he gets on my nerves... and... why not???
The Zarathustra recording used for 2001 WAS Karajan /Decca; but they withheld acknowledgement in the film's closing credits, possibly because of some anxiousness at the time over Karajan's Nazi affiliations. For the LP of the film soundtrack, the Bohm/BPO was used as the for the "sunrise" as, I believe, all of the tracks on the record were of Deutsche Grammophon provenance. Karajan did make a few Decca recordings in the 1970s, all of them opera.
I always think of star wars when I listen to Mars the bringer of war. Especially the music for the evil Empire. When the mars music starts you can practically see an imperial star destroying flying over the top of you. Of course this is completely the wrong way around but star wars came out in 1977 and at the time I was not aware of the wonderful music of Holst. I do not claim either that John Williams has done something wrong and sinister in being influenced by him. I think also what Holst does is make a terrifying comment on the ghastly appeal of war on the male ego. The false souless charisma of war. Ultimately of course it is a deeply pathetic form of macho. The really mature human beings are too busy building bridges and being forgiving to be swept up by the god of war.
The pathetic doctrine of weaklings across history, equating war with barbarism and kindness with civilisation. War has done more for civilisation than virtually any other motivating factor in human existence, excepting the desire for knowledge.
Album available // Holst: The Planets, Op. 36 by Herbert von Karajan
🎧 Qobuz (Hi-Res) bit.ly/48ezIjP Tidal (Hi-Res) bit.ly/3dIzpr4
🎧 Deezer (Hi-Fi) bit.ly/3dNPUCs Amazon Music (Hi-Res) amzn.to/3wnRbsU
🎧 Spotify (mp3) spoti.fi/3OMOkjh CZcams Music (mp4) bit.ly/3FT6yKQ
🎧 Pandora, Anghami, QQ音乐, LineMusic 日本…
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) The Planets, Op. 36 by Herbert von Karajan / Remastered
00:00 I. Mars, the Bringer of War - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
07:00 II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
15:19 III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
19:16 IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
26:51 V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
35:22 VI. Uranus, the Magician - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
41:08 VII. Neptune, the Mystic - The Planets, Op. 36 (Remastered 2022, Version 1961)
Wiener Philharmoniker
Wiener Staatsopernchor
Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Recorded in 1961
New mastering in 2022 by AB for CMRR
🔊 FOLLOW US on SPOTIFY (Profil: CMRR) : spoti.fi/3016eVr
🔊 Download CMRR's recordings in High fidelity audio (QOBUZ) : bit.ly/370zcMg
❤ If you like CM//RR content, please consider membership at our Patreon page.
Thank you :) www.patreon.com/cmrr
THE PLANETS, OP.36 I. Mars (Allegro) opens with an ominous rhythmic calm, the armies gather and the frenzy builds. When the force of the music is unleashed on the brass, its violence and brutality are of a kind previously unknown in English music, a rite not of spring but of Armageddon. Some effects never lose their power of surprise: the evil fanfare of the euphonium, for example, and the great discord that ends up temporarily halting the assault. A slower section is haunted by the martial rhythm; the allegro returns with heightened, almost hysterical ferocity, ending with grating chords.
II. Venus (Adagio). A horn call is answered by flutes in that cool, high register that is a Holst trademark. "Rocking" chords for harps and strings establish a mood of distant calm. A key change to F sharp brings a melodic violin solo that is developed by the strings against woodwind chords. An exquisite oboe solo brings a human warmth to the scene. It is repeated by other woodwinds and strings before the rocking chords return and the movement ends with a pattern of exquisite sounds from celesta, horns, harps and winds.
III. Mercury (Vivace) is a scherzo, 'fleet of foot' and requiring a very deft and alert staccato played by strings and woodwind. The trio section suggests that this particular winged messenger carries a message from Scheherazade.
IV. Jupiter (Allegro giocoso) brings its gaiety in C major. This is the most popular movement in every sense of the word. Its jovial opening and the cooing dance tune of the horns suggest to many ears a typically English scene, but there is also, it seems to me, a flavor of Spanish caprice. The great central aria (andante maestoso) has an Elgarian solemnity, but it is noteworthy that in the coda, when it struggles in the bass to regain the ascendancy, it is overwhelmed by festive superficialities.
V. Saturn (Adagio) was the composer's favorite and, along with Mars, is the most original movement. One can almost feel the pain of Holst's neuritis in the first 26 bars, when the flutes and harps slowly intone two syncopated chords under which, in the double basses, a theme emerges with a shuddering menace. A majestic march for trombones with pizzicato accompaniment leads to an adagio for four flutes that begins a long crescendo, culminating in a clang of bells as the brass intones the main (bass) theme. The coda is mysteriously subdued, a mosaic of chimes and ripples.
VI. Uranus (Allegro). The trumpets and trombones pronounce a spell and trigger the usual musical apparatus of magic and fright - staccato bassoons, xylophone and tuba. This sorcerer is a close relative of Dukas's apprentice, and his family tree goes back to Berlioz's witches. He also has a kind of regimented march with accents that his own apprentices threaten to take over until he stops them with a C chord and organ glissando.
VII. Neptune (Andante). This pianissimo finale is very delicately scored. Musically, it falls within the orbit of Ravel and Ravel-influenced parts of Vaughan Williams, which may explain why VW admired it and felt its quiet power so intensely. It is constructed of fragments that coalesce into one long, indeterminate melody. Toward the end, the wordless vocals of the female voices blend into the texture (and pose difficult intonation problems). The fading voices are the last sounds to reach us from that distant planet, but the chords they sing resonate in many later works.
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 by H.V. Karajan
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Hey, Classical Music / Reference Recording person - do you write the text for these videos of yours? I keep running into your channel, and I keep being so impressed with the text under the videos. Thank you so much for uploading all the great recordings, in any case.
@@not2tees Thanks for your feedback, we draw our comments from our collection books, record booklets when they are relevant and some research on the internet.
This never gets old.
it does if you haven't got an ad blocker, 2 minutes in and WHAMM!! No thank you
Great! I purchased this LP (Long Play vinyl disc) about 50 years ago.
NO ONE does this piece like Herbert von Karajan! He infuses a special something into this work that no other conductor can.
Supongo que es cuestión de gustos... pero a mí me gusta más la de William (Hans-Wilhelm) Steinberg. Y conste que a mí me gusta Karajan en general como director.
@@aguador67 I've never heard Steinberg conduct this piece, so I'll have to check it out. I've heard Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, and Bernard Haitnik conduct Holst's "The Planets". Haitnik's version is dull, uninspired, and insipid. Bernstein's is okay. von Karajan is the best I've personally heard.
One of the darkest and most underrated recording of this masterpiece.
Underrated? It has been a classic since it came out and Holst's daughter, Imogen, thought it was the best recording of the work.
Wunderschöne und spannende Interpretation dieser spätromantischen und perfekt komponierten Suite mit seidigen Tönen aller Streicher, milden Tönen aller Holzbläser und vor allem brillanten Tönen aller Blechbläser. Der vierte Satz klingt besonders schön und echt majestätisch. Der intelligente und unvergleichliche Maestro dirigiert das weltklassige Orchester in verschiedenen Tempi und mit möglichst effektiver Dynamik. Zweifellos eine der zehn besten Aufführungen dieses Meisterwerks im 20. Jahrhundert!
So viele Worthülsen, die eigentlich herzlich wenig aussagen - ich will Ihnen ja nicht Ihren Enthusiasmus versalzen, aber dieser Kommentar transportiert weniger Emotion als vielmehr intellektuelle Leere.
„Spätromantisch“? Das Wort wird ja generell ohne Unterschied auf einen riesigen Zeitraum übertragen, aber hier kann man so deutlich wie selten sagen: mit Romantik hat diese Musik rein gar nichts zu tun.
THE PLANETS, OP.36 I. Mars (Allegro) opens with an ominous rhythmic calm, the armies gather and the frenzy builds. When the force of the music is unleashed on the brass, its violence and brutality are of a kind previously unknown in English music, a rite not of spring but of Armageddon. Some effects never lose their power of surprise: the evil fanfare of the euphonium, for example, and the great discord that ends up temporarily halting the assault. A slower section is haunted by the martial rhythm; the allegro returns with heightened, almost hysterical ferocity, ending with grating chords.
II. Venus (Adagio). A horn call is answered by flutes in that cool, high register that is a Holst trademark. "Rocking" chords for harps and strings establish a mood of distant calm. A key change to F sharp brings a melodic violin solo that is developed by the strings against woodwind chords. An exquisite oboe solo brings a human warmth to the scene. It is repeated by other woodwinds and strings before the rocking chords return and the movement ends with a pattern of exquisite sounds from celesta, horns, harps and winds.
III. Mercury (Vivace) is a scherzo, 'fleet of foot' and requiring a very deft and alert staccato played by strings and woodwind. The trio section suggests that this particular winged messenger carries a message from Scheherazade.
IV. Jupiter (Allegro giocoso) brings its gaiety in C major. This is the most popular movement in every sense of the word. Its jovial opening and the cooing dance tune of the horns suggest to many ears a typically English scene, but there is also, it seems to me, a flavor of Spanish caprice. The great central aria (andante maestoso) has an Elgarian solemnity, but it is noteworthy that in the coda, when it struggles in the bass to regain the ascendancy, it is overwhelmed by festive superficialities.
V. Saturn (Adagio) was the composer's favorite and, along with Mars, is the most original movement. One can almost feel the pain of Holst's neuritis in the first 26 bars, when the flutes and harps slowly intone two syncopated chords under which, in the double basses, a theme emerges with a shuddering menace. A majestic march for trombones with pizzicato accompaniment leads to an adagio for four flutes that begins a long crescendo, culminating in a clang of bells as the brass intones the main (bass) theme. The coda is mysteriously subdued, a mosaic of chimes and ripples.
VI. Uranus (Allegro). The trumpets and trombones pronounce a spell and trigger the usual musical apparatus of magic and fright - staccato bassoons, xylophone and tuba. This sorcerer is a close relative of Dukas's apprentice, and his family tree goes back to Berlioz's witches. He also has a kind of regimented march with accents that his own apprentices threaten to take over until he stops them with a C chord and organ glissando.
VII. Neptune (Andante). This pianissimo finale is very delicately scored. Musically, it falls within the orbit of Ravel and Ravel-influenced parts of Vaughan Williams, which may explain why VW admired it and felt its quiet power so intensely. It is constructed of fragments that coalesce into one long, indeterminate melody. Toward the end, the wordless vocals of the female voices blend into the texture (and pose difficult intonation problems). The fading voices are the last sounds to reach us from that distant planet, but the chords they sing resonate in many later works.
🔊 FOLLOW US on SPOTIFY (Profil: CMRR) : spoti.fi/3016eVr
🔊 Download CMRR's recordings in High fidelity audio (QOBUZ) : bit.ly/370zcMg
❤ If you like CM//RR content, please consider membership at our Patreon page.
Thank you :) www.patreon.com/cmrr
I purchased this CD about 35 years ago and for almost a full year, I listened to it virtually every day. I have many more classical cds in my collection now, but this one, this particular version...even with the sound of traffic passing by outside,... remains my favorite.
A great recording. This period of Von Karajan and the VPO produced landmark recordings.
This is one of the best musical pieces in the history of music, written by a composer who doesn't get enough credit. Although he didn't write many masterpieces like this one, but one is also enough.
Holst's music in general has been undeservedly neglected by the industry. I beg to differ to the fact that he suppossedly wrote few masterpieces: Hegdon Heath; Suits for Military Band no.1 and 2; The Wandering Scholar; The Cloud Messenger and Savitri deserve to be qualified as such. There is one piece though that in my view is superior to The Planets: The Hymn of Jesus ( one of the very greatest choral masterpieces, not only of the 20th century, but of all time).
@@jorgemanuelbotelhoinfante2809Interesting.
@@jorgemanuelbotelhoinfante2809can you elaborate- what makes the hymnn- the greatest... ?
@@schmuelschperling1459 First of all, I must anticipate I don't think it is the greatest choral work of all time (but rather, of the 20th century, paired with Duruflé's requiem, Lili Boulanger "De Profundis"; Britten War Requiem; Rachmaninoff's All time Vigil; Schnittke's Choir Concerto; Poulenc's Figure Humaine and Honegger Jean of Arc at the stake, though this one be an oratorio).
It is always risky to make sweeping comments of what is best or not. But overall, melodically, it alternates gregorian chants (pange lingua, vexilla regis) with mind-numbingly (often quite taxing) choral writing and harmony (some passages even predate aleatorism; and as would be expected of a piece like this, there is a lot of counterpoint, politonality, whole tone clusters...). The orchestration is glorious; there are rapturous, almost extatic passages that translate exquisitely into music the Gnostic source material.
@@jorgemanuelbotelhoinfante2809interesting, a very professional explanation. Thanks
Always been one of my favorite pieces!... next to Alan Hovhaness's "Celestial Gate" as well.
33:40 after all that obscure and psychotic atmosphere, this moment is incredibly.... I just can't find the right words to describe what it makes me feel.... it's so beautiful, it's like finding peace in the after life... 34:20 that strings just go through all my existence
Same for me the past 50 years... it's where the grand organ pedal enters with the chordal reinforcement & his shimmering sonorities above. And the chime tone at the end... I've always thought Holst here was showing how our last days may reveal some type of "celestial presence" (Heaven?)... welcoming the Soul "Home".
@@missahsee Yes musicians are channeling the prophecies of the Almighty in one way or another
Wonderful. Thank-You for this.
Definitive playing from VPO. My favorite planets
Mars with its Relentless pounding of the Percussion in 5/8 time is epic!
Astonishing!!
This heroic performance is the cat ’s pajamas
Amazing
Awesome! simply awesome!!
Bravo!
Now we know were John Williams got his film music from.
Well, actually George Lucas wanted to use classical music in Star Wars, the same way Stanley Kubrick did for 2001: A Space Oddysey, but Lucas was convinced by Steven Spielberg to work with John Williams, Lucas played Holst's Planets as "temporary tracks" to give Williams an idea about what he wanted the score to sound like, there's even a track called "Dune Sea" which sounds similar to Stravisnky's Rite of Spring, specifically the introduction of part 2. Later in the next Star Wars movies, Williams had more creative freedom.
I think it's because of that familiarity that I love this work so much 🪐🌠🌠🌠🌝🚀🚀🚀
Even Hans Zimmer recreated a similar part to Mars in Gladiator, given that Mars is the God of War.
i agree
Ignorant.
@@jesustovar2549I can definitely parts from Mars where a massive space battle erupts and an admiral yells “everyone to your battles stations!” followed by a montage of everyone running and arming themselves and fighters taking flight
It really is thrilling music!
There are many recorded performances of The Planets with more sonic depth, better recorded sound, better intonation, and a tighter overall ensemble, but of the numerous recordings I have of this piece, this has always been my favorite. Sure, there's some clams in a few places, von Karajan often ignores Holst's dynamics, and near the end of 'Mars' the orchestra gets away from him for several bars, but there is more raw power packed into that performance than any other I know. Despite all the flaws, I still find it convincing.
You're right about the faulty intonation, especially in Mars. Yikes.
I OWN A COPY OF THIE 1961 ORIGINAL VINYL LP. NOT THIS REMASTERED VERSION; ALTHOUGH, i'LL PROBABLY BUY IT, FOR COMPARISON.. I THINK MOST PEOPLE WILL STILL PREFER THEIR ORIGINAL PURCHASE. REPLAY QUALITY CONSIDERED.
listening to this renowned work, where the imperialistic airs of British snobbish self-assuredness pervade, conducted by a German maestro and performed by a excellent Austrian orchestra, elicits a certain sense of delight.
Well perhaps if you listen to it played by a British orchestra ( the Royal Philharmonic ) and conducted by a British conductor ( Sir Charles Groves ) you will hear how it SHOULD be played.
@@scabbycatcat4202 OR SIR ADRIAN BOULT, WITH THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. CURRENTLY, I LOVE THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA, 2016.
precioso
危なっかしい箇所も見られますが、それを差し引いても名演奏には変わりありません、この録音がなければ「惑星」が重要オーケストラピースになることはなかったでしょう。
数少ない歴史的な一枚だと思います。
Commercials hurt the enjoyment of the performance
Might be my favorite rendition of Saturn.
Eat your hearts out vK haters, this was Holst's favourite recording. vK's Saturn with the BPO in a later recording is one of the greatest performances of anything on record. AND, I many add, it wouldn't have been too long after this that some poindexter-pencil neck-balloon head at Decca decided to give Bohm the credit for 2001, instead of Karajan, causing vK to turn his back for good on Decca, the result of this was we were left without that brillian Decca sound for future vK recordings. As a Canadian this was a critical issue for me as a music lover/collector. The Canadian pressings of DGG and EMI (Angel) were garbage LPs. Hiss, mush, no bass and awful midrange. When heard on a clean pressing, the clarity and the sound of orchestral balance was there. It was frustrating times in the 60s and 70s for a teen/young adult looking for great records.
I understand you like this recording, and so do I, but....how could a recording made in 1961 be the favorite of Holst, who inconveniently died in 1934? 🙂
@@kurtkaufman I think it was Imogen Holst's (Holst's daughter's) favorite.
dear Kurt, I guess, that wasent the point. ❤
@@kurtkaufman Yes, Holst's daughter. In my zeal I had slipped on that banana peel. I blame it on Hurwitz because he gets on my nerves... and... why not???
The Zarathustra recording used for 2001 WAS Karajan /Decca; but they withheld acknowledgement in the film's closing credits, possibly because of some anxiousness at the time over Karajan's Nazi affiliations. For the LP of the film soundtrack, the Bohm/BPO was used as the for the "sunrise" as, I believe, all of the tracks on the record were of Deutsche Grammophon provenance. Karajan did make a few Decca recordings in the 1970s, all of them opera.
Jupiter is the best!
I WISH THE QUIETER SECTIONS WERE RAISED SOMEWHAT. THOSE DAM ADVERTS SUDDENLY SPRING OUT WITHOUT WARNING A DEAFEN ME.
stg pepper slept well later that evening
41:10 Im Weltraum hört dich niemand schreien!
HOLST WAS A BELEIVER IN ASTROLOGY, WHICH IS THE INFLUENCE FOR THIS SUITE, NOT ASTRONOMY, AS MOST PEOPLE BELEIVE. HENCE, THE EARTH IS NOT REPRESENTED.
22:07
With all due respect, I think that Karajan's "Mars" is like an "Allegro non troppo". I'd rather Steinberg's Mars, really an "Allegro" IMHO
It's Op. 36 or Op. 32 please?
Opus number is 32, not 36.
I always think of star wars when I listen to Mars the bringer of war. Especially the music for the evil Empire. When the mars music starts you can practically see an imperial star destroying flying over the top of you. Of course this is completely the wrong way around but star wars came out in 1977 and at the time I was not aware of the wonderful music of Holst. I do not claim either that John Williams has done something wrong and sinister in being influenced by him. I think also what Holst does is make a terrifying comment on the ghastly appeal of war on the male ego. The false souless charisma of war. Ultimately of course it is a deeply pathetic form of macho. The really mature human beings are too busy building bridges and being forgiving to be swept up by the god of war.
The pathetic doctrine of weaklings across history, equating war with barbarism and kindness with civilisation. War has done more for civilisation than virtually any other motivating factor in human existence, excepting the desire for knowledge.
Nazidyrygent-fajnie.
Cope.
Cope and Seethe commie