Customer Reviews

Holst: The Planets; Grainger: The Warriors

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Good recordings of The Planets abound, so it is largely a matter of personal preference as to which is the best. Having heard The Planets in concert once I wish it was programmed more frequently but perhaps its popularity has earned it some disdain from conductors. This recording conducted by John Elliot Gardiner in among the very best. Mr. Gardiner brings forth all of the subtle shadings in the score and the Philharmonia Orchestra responds with an excellent performance. This is an engaging performance. I read a comment by a reviewer that Mr. Gardiner's recording sounded very fresh to his ears - the reason: rhythm. Mr. Gardiner insisted that all the articulation in the score be observed. So, the fleet-footed Mercury dances on air rather than being earthbound and Jupiter is indeed jolly.

The reason to buy this disc is The Warriors by Percy Grainger. The reviewer of this disc got it wrong. John Elliot Gardiner IS the conductor but The Warriors requires an offstage brass ensemble, which must have its own conductor (actually, Grainger calls for three in the score). This is noted on the back of the CD (Achim Holub is assistant conductor) in fine print, as it should. Grainger wrote The Warriors as a ballet intended for Diaghilev's Ballet Russe but the commission he hoped for never happened. The music was written with the composer's frank views of sex in mind and intended as "a wild sexual concert." Certainly, it was ahead of its time in conception but also in scoring. The orchestra is huge and also requires three grand pianos and an extended percussion section. The Warriors was also an experimental work for Grainger. The rhythms and the way the percussion pulsates and interacts is remarkable. For all the size of the orchestra, this recording has exceptional clarity.

Even if you have The Planets by other conductors, this one needs to be in your collection. But it if not for Holst, then for Grainger.

Gardiner's interpretation of Holst's "The Planets" ranks with the very best. According to a review I read in either the Penguin or Grammophone classical CD guides, it may be the definitive account, comparable with Dutoit's brilliant interpretation with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Davis' with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Gardiner is renowned or reviled - depending on whom you read - for his interpretations of Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven using period instruments. Who could imagine that he feels quite at home conducting a popular 20th Century composition? Throughout Holst's symphonic suite, Gardiner's tempi are often faster, and the Philharmonia responds in a livelier, swiftsure fashion, than these other fine versions. Hence we are rewarded with an extraordinary performance well recorded by Deutsche Grammophon's engineers with their latest sound technology. Among the highlights are a brooding, menacing Mars, a lively, sprite Mercury, and a jovial Jupiter resonating with the ebullient sounds of the lush, verdant English countryside. Oddly enough, Leonard Slatkin recorded a version of "The Planets" with the Philharmonia around the same time, yet his subdued interpretation seems a bit dry, if not dull, by comparison. And so does Grainger's "The Warriors" on this CD, in stark contrast to Gardiner's electrifying interpretation of Holst. Yet this CD still deserves its five star accolade for Holst's 20th Century "Space Odyssey".

Holst's masterpiece, The Planets, is coupled here with the virtually unknown, The Warriors, by Percy Grainger. Both works show the extroverted approaches from the composers during the early part of the 20th century, and both employ unique orchestrations and textures to those means.

One of the great characters in classical music, Percy Grainger, describes the 18-minute work The Warriors, as ghosts of male and female warriors...spirited together for an orgy of war-like dances, processions, and merry-makings...with amorous interludes. With large and diverse orchestrations, the piece nearly yields to schizophrenia, but really is outbursts of unadulterated fun. Offstage brass ensemble and a host of percussion, including three pianos, make this Grainger's largest work. Rarely performed, Grainger and the Philharmonic do not hold back, but present a piece of sincere and outgoing revelry rarely heard from the Brits; Gardiner even outdoes Sir Simon Rattle (an all-Grainger disk on EMI). With occasional sections of over-sentimentality and lyrical romanticism, most of the work is orgiastic bliss. Great music!

Holst's The Planets is a seven-movement work describing the Greek God associated with the name of seven planets. The famous first movement, Mars the Bringer of War, is an in your face depiction of thoughts about war at the beginning of the century. Set in an uneven 5/4 meter, and employing a heavy rising brass motive with a trudging march feel, John Eliot Gardiner gives each beat weight and never wavers in tempo. Venus the Bringer of Peace is the first movements' foil; one of solidarity and contentment, featuring the lush strings of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Bordering towards impressionism, it is obvious Holst's feelings of war vs. peace. Gardiner's adagio tempo is a few ticks faster than adagio, but the forward-moving feeling works for him, rather than against, and there are no feelings of wallowing in sound. The virtuosic and light Mercury the Winged Messenger, lets the woodwinds and strings show their abilities. The two against three throughout urges the piece on, and Gardiner takes the movement in stride.

The most famous movement, Jupiter Bringer of Jollity, here is taken swifter than I have heard anywhere else. But Gardiner does not play with the tempo, nor stretches time as much as other conductors do, but instead, marches forward. This has pluses and minuses, but an interesting interpretation, if not unsympathetic, and showing the virtuosity of the ensemble. Saturn the Bringer of Old Age is a plodding pessimistic view of old age. The oscillating chords of time, and long craggy melodies elicit some stubbornness. In contrast, Uranus the Magician is a sprite and virtuosic piece for the orchestra. Holst portrays the magician and his magic as one of fun, but the magician as a dark figure not to be messed with. The final Neptune the Mystic is just that, an unresolved misty outlook to the future. It is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, just unresolved. The addition of wordless female chorus evokes the timelessness of space and the universe, and fades into nothingness.

All in all, this recording of the Planets is fresh and sparkling, presented in 4-dimension digital sound, the Philharmonia Orchestra is excellent; full, vibrant sound complete with organ, bass flute, bass oboe, tenor tuba, and various percussion. John Eliot Gardiner gives a very straightforward performance, a breath of fresh air in many cases. His interpretation is unsentimental, letting the music speak for itself, instead of forcing the issue. The performance is grand. With the addition of The Warriors, an epic work of carefree frivolity, this recording now can stand up against many classic versions easily. Highly recommended.

I don't have many bones to pick with this disc. One of the first things I noticed about this CD was the sound. The recording location is listed in the back of the liner notes as "London, All Hallows, Gospel Oak." I'm not sure if this is the Philharmonia's regular concert hall, but I will say that the sound is bigger and richer than most any recording I have ever heard of the Planets. The sound just keeps building off of itself. This is one of the rare occasions where the fff and ffff dynamics are actually achieved. However, that's not to say that the quiet dynamics aren't quiet, because they are as soft as any other orchestra in these spots. Kudos to the Philharmonia Orchestra for this and for technical mastery in general. They are highlighted well by the sound engineers. The clarity is outstanding and the different sections are balanced well.
Reviews below seem to contain mixed feelings concerning Gardiner's interpretation - scholarly vs. analytical, electrifying vs. restrained. I believe Mr. Libbey up above hits the nail on the head. Gardiner's account is tasteful yet full of character. It seems we sometimes tend to associate the coolness that English performers bring to the music as having lack of soul, but I don't think that's true. There are several interesting things Gardiner does interpretively. I certainly haven't heard Jupiter played this fast or Mars played this slowly. The first time I heard this rendition of Mars I was almost offended by its sluggishness. But upon repeated listenings I discovered that the rhythmic accuracy is very good, much better than in most other recordings, which sacrifice much of the incisiveness while running only slightly faster. It seems that in this case performing just a little bit slower pays off very well. The intensity is maintained, although at this pace it seems more sustained and overpowering, as opposed to being volatile and strident (both work well; the latter is achieved through a very quick tempo, the opposite of what we have here). The inner movements are taken at a faster pace than most, without losing any of their integrity - in fact, much is gained from this treatment. They are leaner and less sappy, altogether more dignified. Neptune, in addition to Mars, is slower. And it seems Gardiner places the most weight on these two movements - the opening and closing. I've never heard it done this way; usually the greatest weight is placed on Jupiter and Saturn. Here, Neptune gets the "finale" treatment without being too bent out of proportion, and Mars is actually longer than Venus - a rarity among Planets recordings. Overall, the structure is radically different but equally as effective.
I highly recommend this recording. Check it out. If you're not satisfied, Dutoit/Montreal seems to be the most popular these days, although it's never convinced me. Two recordings that have convinced me are Levi with Atlanta, and, if you can find it, an out of print recording with Roy Goodman conducting the Queen's Hall Orchestra, possibly the most revelatory and visceral recording of this work, in my opinion.

*On a side note, Achim Holub is the assistant conductor to Gardiner in the Grainger (which actually calls for three assistants, but they cheated). He is NOT the lowly assistant conductor of a major orchestra who just happened to be handed his 15 minutes of solo conducting fame randomly by a major recording company. Gardiner is the main conductor on all tracks.

This CD is one of my favorites - and was the first to turn me on to John Eliot Gardiner who I have since come to regard as one of the greats of our time. Everything I have that he has done is spectacular and so representative of the time period of he is working in.

Gardiner is so careful to reproduce the style of a specific period. Whether it be Bach, Beethoven, or Berlioz, it's always done in a style that the composer would recognize. Too many conductors produce what we [or they] are hearing today - which does provide a new look, but also neglects sometimes what the composer would have wanted.

Gardiners take on the Planets is breath-taking and hair-raising and barn-burning and ... awesome! There are very few technical problems with this recording (I do recall one squeek of a clarinet or something in Jupiter at a big forte-piano hit). The rest of the playing is done in such a wonderful essence.

The Grainger is exceptional too!

I highly recommend this CD for someone looking for a place to start with Holst.

John Eliot Gardiner is well known for his ability to mold his interpretation with the styles and practices of the composer and somehow make it all fresh and exciting. I am biased toward Gardiner so be forewarned. I have heard many recordings of Holst's "The Planets" and they all have something worth hearing. Someone emphasizes inners voices, accents, structure etc. in a different way and it's always worth a listen. The interesting thing about this recording is that there are lots of new things you can't hear anywhere else. I thought the more lyrical sections of "Venus" were carried off better than anyone else before. "Venus" is regarded as the less important piece in the set by casual listeners and for once we have a recording here that does not permit the casual listener to tune out. Every second of the "Venus" is compelling. "Neptune" is another highlight in the series in which I believe Gardiner adds something no one else has, the more transcendent and mystical qualities really come out. I could comment on every movement but the surprise treat of this CD is the opening track, Grainger's "The Warriors", which fits so well together with "The Planets" I should not be surprised if the same two pieces are recorded together again much like one finds the Schumann and Grieg piano concertos together. "The Warriors" is such an odd piece with scoring for three pianos! It is by no means an empty filler piece as some have suggested. It is a masterpiece from start to finish. When it comes to rhythmic savagery and libertine artistic license, this piece approaches the originality of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring". This recording was my introduction to the composer Percy Grainger. I've since learned both Grainger and Holst both had a passion for Wind Orchestra. Perhaps Gardiner was aware of the not so obvious or even debatable relation between these two composers but his choice to put "The Planets" and "The Warriors" together in one recording is well founded.

I don't usually think of John Gardiner as being a shallow musician but I'll make an exception in this repertory. His rendition of Holst's "The Planets" sounded pretty good the first couple times I listened to it. Then I listened to it again and compared it directly against Adrian Boult's last recording with the same orchestra. Once there was a comparison, Gardiner's version became decidedly second rate.

This is not to say it is a poor version; far from it. The sound, in particular, is very good. The orchestra plays very well for him and one or two of Gardiner's planets -- Uranus in particular -- are worthy competitors for Boult. However, Boult got the same orchestra to sound about 10 times as lush and romantic as Gardiner, a period performance expert whose lean orchestral tone seems to have carried over here.

Gardiner's add on, Percy Grainger's rambunctious "The Warriors", seems well suited to accompany "The Planets". It is an interesting orchestral piece that makes a lot of noise without having much of anything to say and inhabits the same technicolor ground as Holst's work. Unfortunately, it is pretty empty music. I doubt you'd listen to this very often and probably never outside of spinning Gardiner's "Planets."

I'd recommend anyone that wants to hear this music the way it's supposed to sound to purchase any of Adrian Boult's stereo recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. See how he expands the music and makes it more fitting as an orchestral showpiece defining the universe. In addition, you get Boult's near definitive version of Elgar's "Enigma" variations, a far meatier and substantial piece of music than Grainger's "The Warriors."

An updated version I've heard that I enjoyed far more than this was the newer version under Simon Rattle's baton. This version includes the then-new Pluto section (before it was determined not to be a planet) and the recording was coupled to a second disk of space music from some composers you've probably not heard of. Rattle managed the main course without the bombast Gardiner and others typically include. His version reminded me of Dutoit's classic version with the additional disk of space encores.

The Rattle also sounds pretty good although not a super audio recording. Audiophiles seeking the most perfect sounding version of "The Planets" should probably stick with Gardiner's SACD version. I wouldn't call it an artistic success but, if your decision is based on sound alone, Gardiner should be the one until something better comes along.

It was Holst's work here that attracted my attention. And so I bought it. I sort of "skipped" Grainger's piece for a long time. One day I just got curious, and played it, and now it is one fo my favorite pieces.
Gardiner's conducting is superb. This is a must cd for any classical music collection.

I really love this CD. It is simply the most electrifying rendition of the Planets. In my opinion, John Eliot Gardiner is the simgle most versatile conductor that ever lived. From Montiverdi to Stravinsky and beyond, which all done with original orchestration/period instruments, they are also a scholarly interpretation of these works in their place in history. This is THE single best way to listen to recordings, the way the composer imagined them to sound. In sort, there are NOT any better recordings on the market. Every disk is state of the art and filled with rich texture, emotion, and musical genius. I am at the point now where I just buy anything with his name on it, and I have never been dissappointed yet! REALLY!!!

ATTENTION VIEWERS: You should be aware that when reviewing this particular recording, the Percy Grainger "Warriors" is NOT conducted by Gardiner, despite what other reviewers have said. In the liner notes it states that this work is conducted by the Philharmonia assistant conductor, ACHIM HOLUB. There is nothing noted about off-stage conductors, and in these recordings, there would normally have been a note about this important fact, if it were true.

I had been searching for a recording of Holst's Planets for quite some time before I finally settled on this one about two years ago. I wanted a recording that would satisfy both musically and sonically- and here it is. John Eliot Gardiner is a favorite conductor of mine, having led a spectacular Schubert 9th with the Vienna Phil that I have always thought to be near definitive. Anyway, the first thing that attracted me to it was the fact that the label was DG- I've never had a bad experience with this company so I thought why not. Secondly, I was looking for an English ensemble- the English do English music so well, after all. Thirdly, I was hoping for a companion piece to The Planets that wasn't Also Sprach Zarathustra. Every time I listen to this disc, I am bowled over by the incredible playing and recording quality. DG's 4D audio suits these two works very well. There is no overload at climaxes, and inner detail is never sacrificed. The Philharmonia shines in every movement, especially in Uranus. It's just that good. JEG's conducting is never sluggish, and I think this has to do with the fact that he conducts a lot of Classical works. Grainger's The Warriors is just a great romp for the orchestra, full of very exciting music for every section. Percy Grainger is one of my favorite composers, simply because I've played his works many, many times. 10 star disc.

Bravi tutti!