Customer Reviews

Holst: The Planets; St. Paul's Suite; Brook Green Suite

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Vernon Handley recorded this performance of The Planets in 1993, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, it has been released by various obscure labels. Originally, it was released by Tring International. Currently, it is available on different labels. This incarnation comes from Alto records, which has released several other "forgotten" performances. It brings together The Planets with more rarely recorded works by Holst: St. Paul's Suite and Brook Green Suite. This generous coupling makes the current disc the first choice among all these obscure incarnations of Handley's fine performance of The Planets.

Now, what about the interpretation? Frankly, I would like to rank it among the finest on record. That is, as references, I list Boult with New Philharmonia (British Composers: Holst), Previn with LSO (Holst: The Planets), and Steinberg with Boston Symphony Orchestra (Holst: The Planets / R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra). From the very start, we have an arrensting, masterly balanced performance that never turns this outstanding work into a mere showpiece for orchestra. The orchestra is excellent, and so is the choir in the mysterious closing bars of "Neptune" (Ambrosian singers).

The recording itself is also very good and natural - surely in demonstration class. The 1993 sound has been remastered for this edition. Throw in a lively St. Paul's Suite and a fine performance of Brook Green Suite (Barry Wordsworth is the conductor in the latter), and we have a disc that is not only another recording of The Planets but a very fine collection of Gustav Holst's music.

Warmly recommended.