Holst: The Planets

Gustav Holst wrote few works that remain popular today with his Planets continuing to enjoy the greatest appeal to musician and non-musician alike. The work's popularity is evidenced by the remarkable number of recordings from which one can select, with Steinberg, Karajan, Dutoit, Levi, and Mehta all providing at least excellent sound.among the top few. Boult creeps in and out of best version lists, but I find the sonics to be mediocre to good at best. In this work, sound is a critical part of the listening experience. Merely decent sonics are simply not going to keep a recording on the top shelf. In Mehta's recording, the sound is very slightly recessed enough that "transparent" is not a term usually associated with the recording. Karajan and Mehta, in fact, are at the low end of "excellent." Of course, The Planets has a definite program, the solar system as it was appreciated at the time that Holst composed the work and not in order of the planet's distance from the sun. Earth is conspicuously absent. Perhaps Holst knew that mankind was intent on killing the planet in the years following the music's composition, so why bother.Undoubtedly one of the top recordings of Holst's The Planets though not in terms of sonics, Zubin Mehta's interpretation is particularly notable for NOT trying to win a race like so many other conductors. His tempi are well-chosen. Mars, for example, is taken at a whirlwind pace by Dutoit and especially Levi. With Mehta, the slightly slower tempo preserves the excitement while allowing the listener to hear the texture as more than a blur as the music whips by. With remastered sound that shows little of its 35 year old age, Mehta provides music as well as near-blockbuster sonics. Too often the lyrical elements of the work are ignored in favor of the wow-factor. Dynamics are thrilling, but Mehta can bring the sonic intensity down to pianissimo in some passages. This is not to say that there is anything remotely dull about the performance. Far from it. But this IS a work of music, and Mehta plays it as such.In summary, this is one of the very best interpretations around and the recording's sound is excellent although slightly recessed. For the interpretation alone, this is a highly recommendable album. However, I do wish the remastering had been even more successful. Still I believe the disc warrants your very serious consideration.ADDENDUM 6-11-14: There is now an XRCD 24 bit remastering of this performance that has brought the sonics from excellent to absolutely stunning. I reviewed it a few days ago. You MUST hear it to believe it. It now contends for Top Honors. You can read my review at http://www.amazon.com/Holst-The-Planets-XRCD-Master/product-reviews/B0003JAJFY/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

This is a wonderful piece of music.

I lived in Los Angeles when Zubin Metha was music director of the LA Philharmonic. It was an underrated group in those days and Metha first turned down an offer to take over the New York Philharmonic with the phrase that he couldn't justify taking over the "Cadillac" of American orchestras when he had the Rolls Royce of orchestras here in LA. We all were very proud of what he accomplished with the previously overlooked group after Sir Georg Solti left in a huff when Metha was hired to be his assistant without his input - even before he officially took over the reins. But by the time Metha left to finally go to the "Cadillac" he really had built a terrific orchestra right here in rough and tumble LA. He wasn't everyone's favorite conductor since he literally learned the job with the help of the solid musicianship of the old LA Phil, but I think a lot of people were sorry to see him leave.I attended a concert performance of The Planets when he was still in LA and it was quite good. I had this recording on vinyl and practically wore in out over the last 40+ years and was excited when I found it once again available - now reprocessed to more recent standards and on a very good-quality CD. There are probably better recordings of this old "war horse" but this one brings back wonderful memories and the playing is still very good. Glad I was able to get my hands on this one!

Zubin Mehta's version of the planets suffers somewhat from uneven pace. Mars and Mercury seem a bit rushed. By contrast, Saturn, the bringer of old age, is dramatically effective while being markedly a different pace. At 9:56, it's a bit slow. Previn clocks Saturn at 9:08, Bernstein at 8:53, and Maazel at 8:34. But Mehta is comparable to Karajan and Dutoit in his orbit of Saturn.The sound is generally bright, and shows considerable detail. The range is a tad much. One ends up twiddling the volume between the soft and loud passages; not good. The difference between drama and volume is one that the sound engineers didn't fully comprehend.There's bonus tracks of John Williams "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the "Star Wars." Close Encounters is a but a rung above a TV sci-fi theme, but Star Wars, as always, is stirring, and generally well done by Zehta. These themes inclusion makes the point of The Planets impression on Williams as a composer. Worth noting that the sound balance on Star Wars is noticeably better than the Planets.Overall, a fine presentation, with caveats to pacing and balance.

This is a superb remastered recording of conductor Zubin Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra performing Holst, rich and evocative. I listened to Dutoit, Previn, Karajan, Levine, and Bernstein, none of these can touch Zubin Mehta's vivid and powerful Holst! I knew John Williams, but that doesn't influence me here. The entirety remains true to Holst's original composition; Mehta's is the distinctive and definitive version that distinguishes itself from the high-pitched brassiness and emotionally limpid interpretations by other conductors. I can't recommend this highly enough. Your ears will thank you (especially Mars fans). Enjoy!

Back in the early 1970's, this was the first recording of The Planets that I would listen to...again and again. I still have it on vinly, but it's hard to play a record in my car, or on my motorcycle. I'm so glad this is available in a digital format. As far as I am concerned, this is the best recording of The Planets...best tempo, best instrumentation, best conducting. It's perfect.

Beautiful classic music that inspired the Star Wars soundtrack. The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917.

For less than a tenner, this is great value!PERFECT sound quality, full symphony orchestras & some of the finest Classical ever written!Gustav Holst was a genius and I'd recommend the Planets Suite as THE very best place for the Classically curious to start.Conducted here by Zubin Mehta, and brought to vivid life by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.Movements such as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn & Uranus are some of the most powerful/intense ever written - and even the lighter moments of Mercury, Venus and Neptune (spinechilling) are intoxicating! This music has probably influenced more movie score composers than anything else; Mars (Hans Zimmer/Gladiator's Battle Scene & John Williams/Star Wars) and Neptune (Jerry Goldsmith/Alien). Trust me, as you listen, you'll think "hang on, wasn't this in You Only Live Twice etc..."Speaking of John Williams, you also get the Star Wars-A New Hope, Main Title Theme and the Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Suite, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Star Wars, we've heard many times, but the CE3K Suite is a beautifully majestic & haunting piece that deserves to be praised more often!As I say, GREAT VALUE, and it does not feel like a budget release.

「火星」や「天王星」でテューバやバス・トロンボーンの凄まじい響きが聞けます。録音もよく、ティンパニの質感もよいです。演奏自体はとてもまじめで、刺激的でうるさいところはありません。

他のかたのレビューを参考にして金管楽器が吠えるのを聴きたくて購入致しました。　確かに1曲目の「火星」からよく鳴っています。　　が、私のはデッカでも廉価版の【eloquence】盤のせいでしょうか？音が割れてしまいます。　これでは折角の名盤・鑑賞処ではありません。　ほかのCDヴァージョンにすれば良かったのでしょうけれど、人気盤のためこの版（eloquence）以外は在庫切れでした。　　カラヤン・ウィーンフィル盤よりも迫力があります。入荷待ちしてでも買われる事をお勧め致します。