September 21, 2018

1,001 LaserDiscs 6: Gustav Holtz ~ The Planets

12" NTSC LaserDisc front cover
photo by Styrous®


Today, September 21 is the birthday of composer Gustav Holst, who was born in 1874. He is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, which was written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.  

The premiere was at the Queen's Hall on 29 September 1918, conducted by Holst's friend Adrian Boult before an invited audience of about 250 people. The first complete public performance was finally given in London by Albert Coates conducting the London Symphony Orchestra on November 15, 1920.       

 
12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover
photo by Styrous®


This recording is performed by Isao Tomita who adapted The Planets for Moog and other synthesizers and electronic devices. Tomita, was a Japanese music-composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements.        


12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Holst was the third generation of professional musicians in his family and he had hoped to become a pianist but was prevented by neuritis in his right arm. He pursued a career as a composer, studying at the Royal College of Music under Charles Villiers Stanford. Unable to support himself by his compositions, he played the trombone professionally and later became a teacher—a great one, according to his colleague Ralph Vaughan Williams.

He was a significant influence on a number of younger English composers, including Edmund Rubbra, Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten. Apart from The Planets and a handful of other works, his music was generally neglected until the 1980s, when recordings of much of his output became available.                  

Vaughan Williams described Holst as "the greatest influence on my music", although Matthews asserts that each influenced the other equally. Among later composers, Michael Tippett is acknowledged as Holst's "most significant artistic successor", both in terms of compositional style and because Tippett, who succeeded Holst as director of music at Morley College, maintained the spirit of Holst's music there.

There are other English composers who are in debt to Holst, in particular William Walton and Benjamin Britten.       

12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Holst conceived the idea of The Planets in 1913, partly as a result of his interest in astrology, and his determination to produce a large-scale orchestral work. The chosen format may have been influenced by Fünf Orchesterstücke, by Schoenberg, and shares something of the aesthetic of Nocturnes or La mer by Debussy.         
         

12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Each planet is represented with a distinct character. In Mars, a persistent, uneven rhythmic cell consisting of five beats, combined with trumpet calls and harmonic dissonance provides battle music which is unique in its expression of violence and sheer terror, "... Holst's intention being to portray the reality of warfare rather than to glorify deeds of heroism".

John Williams used the melodies and instrumentation of Mars as the inspiration for his soundtrack for the Star Wars films (specifically The Imperial March)     

Hans Zimmer closely used the melodies, instrumentation and orchestration of Mars as the inspiration for his soundtrack for the movie Gladiator to the extent that a lawsuit for copyright infringement was filed by the Holst foundation           


12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


In Venus, Holst incorporated music from an abandoned vocal work, A Vigil of Pentecost, to provide the opening; the prevalent mood within the movement is of peaceful resignation and nostalgia. Mercury is dominated by uneven metres and rapid changes of theme, to represent the speedy flight of the winged messenger.        


12" NTSC LaserDisc back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Holst adapted the melody of the central section of Jupiter in 1921 to fit the metre of a poem beginning I Vow to Thee, My Country. As a hymn tune it has the title Thaxted, after the town in Essex where Holst lived for many years, and it has also been used for other hymns, such as O God beyond all praising and We Praise You and Acknowledge You with lyrics by Rev. Stephen P. Starke. It is by far the best-known melody of the suite.      


12" NTSC LaserDisc sleeve
photo by Styrous®


Holst died in London on 25 May 1934, at the age of 59, of heart failure following an operation on his ulcer. His ashes were interred at Chichester Cathedral in Sussex, close to the memorial to Thomas Weelkes, his favourite Tudor composer. Bishop George Bell gave the memorial oration at the funeral, and Vaughan Williams conducted music by Holst and himself.         

On 27 September 2009, after a weekend of concerts at Chichester Cathedral in memory of Holst, a new memorial was unveiled to mark the 75th anniversary of the composer's death. It is inscribed with words from the text of The Hymn of Jesus: "The heavenly spheres make music for us". In April 2011 a BBC television documentary, Holst: In the Bleak Midwinter, charted Holst's life with particular reference to his support for socialism and the cause of working people.      


12" NTSC LaserDisc side 2
One-Sided Extended Play
detail photo by Styrous®
      
Tracklist:

1     Opening Logos   
2     Main Title   
3     Blast Off   
4     Mars: The Bringer of War   
5     Venus: The Bringer of Love   
6     Interlude   
7     Mercury: The Winged Messenger   
8     Interlude   
9     Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity   
10     Interlude   
11     Saturn: The Bringer of Age   
12     Interlude   
13     Uranus: The Magician   
14     Neptune: The Mystic   
15     End Credits   

Notes:

One Sided Extended Play.
Distributed Exclusively by Image Entertainment.
Made In USA
Copyright 1991 Don Barrett Productions, Inc.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode: 01438184216

Tomita ‎– The Planets
Label: Malibu Video, Inc. ‎– ID8421DB
Format: Laserdisc, 12", Stereo, NTSC
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Electronic, Classical
Style: Modern Classical

       
       
       
Viewfinder links:    
    
Benjamin Britten            
Gustav Holst        
Michael Tippett        
           
Net link:            
       
Gustav Holst website       
Gustav Holst Recordings        
    
YouTube links:    
        
The Planets ~          
         Mars, The Bringer of War         
         Venus, The Bringer of Peace 
         Mercury, The Winged Messenger 
         Jupiter the Bringer of Jollity & Saturn the Bringer of Old Age
         Uranus, The Magician           
         Neptune, The Mystic           

       
The LaserDisc, Gustav Holtz ~ The Planets, is for sale on eBay     



Styrous® ~ Friday, September 21, 2018       
















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