Holst: The Planets, Op. 36 by Herbert von Karajan (2022 Remastered, Vienna 1961)

The orchestral suite The Planets made Gustav Holst’s name well enough known for the composer to secure a lasting place in the pantheon of the classical repertoire. The work enjoys a popularity comparable to Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana. The music is powerful, effective, varied, and pleasing—provided one does not try to make it say more than it truly can. Jupiter, the most famous movement, has appeared in numerous films and resounds every year throughout the Commonwealth on Remembrance Day (Armistice Day). It was also heard at the funerals of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Lady Diana! John Williams drew heavy inspiration from Mars for his Imperial March, the iconic anthem of the Star Wars soundtrack.

Karajan, true to himself in terms of orchestral mastery, unfolds throughout this planetary suite the magnificence of the Vienna Philharmonic, bringing out its magical timbres, emphasizing rhythmic outbursts like no one else, illuminating just as well the shimmering colors of the flute or celesta (Mercury), creating a warlike atmosphere (Mars), dancing through Jupiter, playing with Uranus the Magician, and stretching the sound space of Neptune to the point of ethereal dissolution…