Customer Reviews

Holst: The Planets

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Planets suite is quite a thing of beauty. This recording made by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of James Levine, is quite good. The powerful, brassy sound other reviewers have spoke of is obvious here and it works perfectly. My only gripe is not really a bad thing. The dynamic range on this disc is tremendous. I often am forced to listen to music at levels which won't get me evicted from my apartment. In doing so, I have found that the piano or pianissimo (or pianississimo) passages are inaudible. It still sounds superb; I just have to crank it up and risk losing my hearing when the brass comes in.

Gustav Holst's "The Planets" (Op. 32) is a seven-movement symphonic poem which describes the "personalities" of most of our celestial neighbors in the solar system. Had Pluto been discovered when Holst was composing this wonderful piece in the early 20th Century, there might have been an eighth movement (perhaps called "The Guardian of the Dead"), but the ninth planet was not discovered until 1930, 12 years after its first rehearsal. No matter. One missing planet doesn't take away from the breathtaking wonder of this very powerful composition.

Holst is not literally describing each planet's physical features, for at the turn of the 20th Century there were no Voyager or Viking probes to send back images from which the composer could derive some inspiration, although I would like to think that some NASA engineer was listening to this music while driving to and from the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena as one of our mechanical explorers was making its lonely sojourn across the vast and cold expanses of space. No, Holst was going for the planets as astral metaphors, giving each movement a descriptive title ("Mars, the Bringer of War," for instance) and a particular musical "mood" that is totally unconnected to the others.

James Levine (best known as the Metropolitan Opera's music director) leads the magnificent Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus into a mystical musical tour of the heavens, starting with the belligerent allegro "Mars, the Bringer of War." This movement starts with very tense and brooding music that becomes very martial, almost as if Holst had composed it for the score of a great silent epic depicting the then-ongoing Great War. It is a very "modern" piece, with very militaristic tempos that convey discord and strife. It even sounds like a precursor to John Williams' "The Imperial Attack" cue from his score to Star Wars: A New Hope. (If you play the last minute or so of the allegro, then listen to any recording of "The Imperial Attack," you will notice the similarity.)

In sharp contrast to the first movement, Venus, the Bringer of Peace" is a gentle and reflective piece, with lush strings and restrained tones suggesting astral tranquility.

My favorite movement is "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity," with its lively introduction and bright motifs that lead into a "hope and glory" theme which conveys grandeur and pomp, as if composed for a coronation or royal wedding. Holst uses various tempos and variations on themes, building on each musical construct until reaching a triumphal orchestral climax. (Listeners of the old WTMI 93.1 FM classical station in South Florida will recognize the opening bars of "Jupiter" as the musical intro to the news updates in the morning and afternoon.)

Levine and the Chicago Symphony and Chorus perform this multifaceted work brilliantly in this 1990 Deutsche Gramophon recording, and Holst's magnificent mix of orchestral moods takes the listener on an aural equivalent of a Grand Tour of the heavens.

Levine's recording of this Holst masterpiece should be a staple in every music collection. Not only does it have the gorgeous sound of some of the world's finest string players, but it also has something that every orchestra at that time envied - the warm, rich, powerfull sound of the Chicago brass section. This combination, along with Levine's exceptional understanding of the piece, makes the recording one of the most energetic, exciting, and engaging ones available today.

For some incomprehensible reason, this is not singled out as a great performance in most classical music guides, but I think it is. Overall, the tempi feel right and the power of the playing and the quality of the recording are superlative. Of more recent vintage recordings, it is much more exciting than Dutoit and less clinical and calculated than Gardiner. To those looking for a good budget priced recording, I would recommend Lloyd-Jones' performance on Naxos.

No orchestra's performance of Holst's Planets possesses the rich colors, the deep sonorities, the brilliant soloists, the heroic power and the sheer emotion of the Chicago Symphony's! The orchestra has proven their musical prowess time and time again and this is hardly and exeption. The strings flow beautifuly and act as a unified and mighty wave and also as a fertile bed of sound. The woodwinds are impeccable and voluptuous. the percussion is sensitive and precise. The mighty Chicago brass outstrips all the world's orchestras once more with this tour de force of majesty and might. The principal trumpet sails effortlessly above the entire ensemble, especially in Mercury and Jupiter, calling out to all mankind to harkon unto God. the horns display both incredible lyricism and a firey power. The trombone section is simply one of the best anywhere and ever. Charles Vernon awakens the dead with his volcanic sound most appearently in Uranus. This is one of the world's greatest orchestras and should be admired. This recording deserves much higher recognition.

I have Bernstein's version of it...I pulled it out and listened to it and found some spots unliking to me. I bought this CD on a hunch and never felt bad about my purchase. Folks, this is a must-buy! James Levine does a great job in interpreting this massive work. Mars is at a great tempo, and brass heavy! The acoustics in their recording studio must have been great! The tuba and string basses were so loud at the end of Mars that the sound was still ringing when the piece ending. Chicago simply has one of the best brass sections in the world of symphony orchestras. This cd is worth every penny and worth every second of your music listening time.

This is it, this is the best recording of "The Planets" available on CD. There is no equal. The performance of the Chicago Symphony (all sections), the subtlety of Levine's conducting, the amazing variations in style, texture and dynamics, and the chemistry of this orchestra and conductor make this the platinum standard of all Holst recordings.

While this interpretation still does not capture every element of the work in what I would consider its hypothetical, ideal performance (my interpretation, as I'm sure it is with most, is an average of all the ways I have heard the suite performed), I must say that this one really grew on me in the initial week I listened to it. At first I didn't think much of it (and I berated myself for caving to the glowing reviews I had read about Levine's interpretation), especially considering I was already very happy with my copy of the Charles Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra interpretation. I was expecting to be blown away upon my initial trial of the Levine recording and was disappointed in the extreme, especially since I put forward a pretty penny for my copy.

But, like I said, it really grew on me. For the record, I currently own three interpretations of this suite:

Charles Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra
James Levine/Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Andre Previn/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Incidentally, all are DDD. I didn't choose them for that reason; things just happened that way. Nevertheless, of the three, Levine's is the clear winner sonically. The production is vibrant and inspiring, and each section sounds natural and pleasant. And, when the brass isn't drowning out everything else, the sections all blend well.

My first impression of the Levine interpretation was a criticism I still hold (and which I hinted to above): The brass is much too loud. Yes, of course, it's the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and indeed the tone and power of its brass section blows away anything else I have heard, but 'The Planets' the way I have always heard it has functioned best when the brass and strings have at least some vestage of balance. In Levine's recording no such balance exists: The entire suite is a showcase for the brass section. Now this works well for the louder sections (especially for "Mars"), but portions such as the middle section of "Jupiter" suffer greatly from this overzealous brass, which exhibits all the subtlety of a pile driver upon the delicate, lilting theme. I wouldn't be so critical here except that the middle section of "Jupiter" ties for what I consider the most beautiful, most haunting section in all classical music (the other contender is the principal melody of the second movement of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony). Somehow Dutoit just got it right in this section, even if he did leave out the tympani from the score (why he did this is beyond me).

But I could quibble on about this sort of thing forever. I am writing this review in regards to those who have heard the suite before and know it well, such that they are searching for an interpretation that suits them. Therefore I will not trifle with describing the movements themselves.


"Mars, The Bringer Of War" - This is by far the best movement in Levine's interpretation. This one just has a raw energy, a massive power that makes both Dutoit's and Previn's versions seem like so much wadded toilet paper. When I think "Mars", I think Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That marvelous brass section really nails this piece. I do not have the score (I passed on several occasions I had to purchase it), so I can't point to specific passages via measure number (which would be very helpful), but in general the crecendi in this movement are milked to gravitational effect. Whatever source you use to play this track will nearly wrench itself free of its moorings when you crank the volume on this movement. Of all the versions I've heard (the three I've mentioned, plus Tomita's timeless electronic rendering of the score), Levine's is by far the best. It's worth the price of admission alone to have this version of "Mars" in your collection.

"Venus, The Bringer Of Peace" - I was not so impressed with this movement. Levine seems to have difficulty with subtle, cantative sections. This entire movement seems a little rushed to me, especially the violin solo passages. It's also a little sloppy in places. Of the three orchestral versions I have heard, I would have to say Dutoit is the best as far as "Venus" goes.

"Mercury, The Winged Messenger" - I have much less experience with this particular movement in general (it was never one of my favorites until just recently). Nevertheless, I believe Levine's is a competent interpretation. Of the three conductors, I would say that this movement is Previn's moment of shining glory.

"Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity" - My knowledge of this movement makes up for my lack of knowledge regarding the previous one. "Jupiter" is by far my favorite movement in the piece, not simply for the bombastic, dance-like antics; but also for the graceful, uplifting middle theme. I have listened to that particular section of the music perhaps more than any other moment in my classical music collection.

That having been said, I would really like to give Levine the baton for this one. He does most of the piece better than either Dutoit or Previn could ever hope to achieve. However, the middle section really ruins the whole thing. It's not that the overall effect is bad, per se. It's just that I think Levine could have been a great deal more sensitive with this particular part of the score. The ending of this sequence is monumental and perfectly done, but the lead-up is far too brass-heavy and forced-sounding. This portion of the movement is supposed to be lyrical, firm but musical. And it needs to start much more softly. Surprisingly, the main offender at the beginning of this section is not the brass, but the woodwinds, particularly the clarinets. Chicago's clarinets have a rough, jarring timbre, and they destroy the first note of the middle sequence by virtue of their duck-like blast. Once the strings gain their composure, though, the brass starts getting uppity. Once we come to the stray honk from a single trumpet somewhere (a glaring mistake that makes me do a double-take every time I hear it), all hope for capturing the spirit of this movement as I hear it in my head is lost. Even so, when viewed from a different angle, it all adds up to a more forceful presentation of the theme, which is I believe preferable to a timid, lifeless run-through.

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose. You'll notice I didn't take any stars away. I figured that entitles me to be more detailed in my analysis, lest zealous fans of CSO/James Levine point some poisonous arrows in my general direction.

Personal indulgence aside, we'll get on with it.

"Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age" - Nobody will ever beat Dutoit's interpretation of this piece. Not only is the organ bass at the very end of the latter's version simply devine, "Saturn" is a rare instance in which the Montreal brass are actually LOUDER than Chicago. Of all the times to be timid, the middle section of "Saturn" is not the one. Levine seems unwilling to embrace the score and let the full impact be broadcasted. Though of course his performance is fine, again his prowess insofar as the softer elements leaves something to be desired. Of the three versions I mentioned, I would place Levine's at a very close third behind Previn.

As far as the next two movements, I honestly don't have enough knowledge to where my opinion will mean very much. That could have something to do with the fact that it has been over seven years since I listened to either of them, in any of the three versions I have.


All in all, though I have probably at many times seemed at odds with my original statement, I highly recommend the Levine/Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording of Holst's 'The Planets.' Not only is it a good all-around effort, it contains the most powerful and meaningful interpretation of "Mars" I have ever heard. Everything else pales in comparison. If you like lyricism and dynamic restraint, then you should also look at Dutoit. If you like staid interpretation that nevertheless takes some liberties, you can split the difference between Levine and Dutoit with Previn. And, though I have never heard it, the Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker recording is reputed to be reference-worthy. Some hate the latter, yet some love it. Few seem to be indifferent. But then, that's how it always seems to be with a subjective matter such as interpretation of a major work. To each his own, I suppose.

I'm a casual listener of movie soundtracks and classical music, but I've listened to hundreds of albums. The Planets is up there with the best. It's such a rich, wonderful listening experience. As other reviewers have noted, it makes great use of a rumbling bass, but never overdoes it. It's epic in quality, but is calm enough to have on in the background while you're working or resting. This CD will stay in my player for quite some time to come.

Of all American orchestras, Chicago's brass is the best. Holst's the Planets demands potent brass, and Chicago's arsenal makes this the best recording of the Planets I've heard.