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vinyl LP front cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of Gustav Holst an English composer, arranger and teacher whose most famous work is the orchestral suite The Planets 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 concept of the work is astrological rather than astronomical.
Almost everybody has recorded The Planets! In addition to Holst himself, one of the great recordings was by Sir Adrian Boult with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; they were the first to perform the work on September 29, 1918. Leopold Stokowski with the NBC Symphony Orchestra did the first American recording (he was brilliant in the film, Fantasia (link below). Some of the great conductors include, Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy and Seiji Ozawa who, while conducting the San Francisco Symphony, advanced modern works and discarded the traditional formal tuxedo dress shirt for a white turtleneck.
Hollywood as well had a shot at the planetary work: the great film composer, Bernard Herrmann, took a turn at it, André Previn and John Williams had their interpretations.
The world of electronics had to get in on the act as well. The first one was for the Moog (pronounced mogue) when Isao Tomita adapted The Planets for Moog and other synthesizers and electronic devices. The original LP release prompted legal action from Holst's estate. The composer's daughter, Imogen Holst, worked hard to prevent the recording being distributed in the UK. Patrick Gleeson recorded this electronic version in 1976 but titled it, Beyond the Sun.
HIs works were played frequently in the early years of the 20th century, but it was not until the international success of The Planets
in the years immediately after the First World War that he became a
well-known figure. A shy man, he did not welcome this fame and preferred
to be left in peace to compose and teach. In his later years, his
uncompromising, personal style of composition struck many music lovers
as too austere, and his brief popularity declined. Nevertheless, he was a
considerable 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.
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.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Mars, The Bringer Of War - 7:03
A2 - Venus, The Bringer Of Peace - 7:37
A3 - Mercury, The Winged Messenger - 3:04
A4 - Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity - 8:20
A2 - Venus, The Bringer Of Peace - 7:37
A3 - Mercury, The Winged Messenger - 3:04
A4 - Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity - 8:20
Side 2:
B1 - Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age - 9:34
B2 - Uranus, The Magician - 6:39
B3 - Neptune, The Mystic - 6:51
Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Phonogram, Inc.
Distributed By – Phonodisc, Inc.
Credits:
Composed By – Gustav Holst
Synthesizer [Eu Systems Polyphonic] – Julian Priester, Patrick Gleeson
Notes:
This album is dedicated with affection to Robert Moog and W. Carlos.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, etched): SRI-80000-A3 -A-
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, stamped): KENDUN
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, etched): SRI-80000-B-3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, stamped): MASTERDISK
Patrick Gleeson – Beyond The Sun: An Electronic Portrait Of Holst's The Planets
Label: Mercury – SRI 80000
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Electronic
Style: Modern Classical
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