MSM 126 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Which are you favorite 'planets' from The Planets Suite by Holst, and in which order?Mine:1) Uranus, the Magician2) Mars, the Bringer of War3) Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolity4) Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age5) Neptunes, the Mystic6) Mercury, the Winged Messenger7) Venus, the Bringer of Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mars is the only one I'm familiar with. I have all of them, I think I'll listen now. Isn't it odd that he didn't write one for Pluto? Or was it not discovered by then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSM 126 Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mars is the only one I'm familiar with. I have all of them, I think I'll listen now. Isn't it odd that he didn't write one for Pluto? Or was it not discovered by then?Nope. It would take another 15 years .He could have written one for Earth, though (LotR composer Johan de Meij has now.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Pluto had not yet been discovered. And what a serendipitous turn of events that was, considering its current status. "The Planets" was the first orchestral piece I ever intentionally listened to repeatedly for enjoyment, I think. I have a hard time picking favorites...at one point, I would have offered Jupiter without hesitation, but my respect for the other pieces has grown immensely. I suppose I'll just group them into three categories, from favorite to least favorite. If you just put these all in the order they're listed without the three groupings, that'd probably still be accurate...but I really do have a hard time ranking Mars beneath Jupiter, for instance.1. Jupiter, Mars, Saturn2. Uranus, Mercury3. Neptune, Venus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 1) Uranus, the Magician2) Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age3) Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolity4) Mars, the Bringer of War5) Neptunes, the Mystic6) Venus, the Bringer of Peace 7) Mercury, the Winged MessengerThey are all pretty fantastic, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I suppose Mars would be my favorite but I prefer the whole album. Each piece is worthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I have had the album for five years (it was the first Disk I had ever purchased), but I never listened to it entirely. Maybe after I am done with "Darkman".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 There has been at least one Pluto composed to complete the set over the years. A good thing it never became popular. Aside from the usual standouts Mars and Jupiter, my favourites are Uranus and Saturn.And I thought this was about favourite recordings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Wasn't it rumored that Williams was approached to write Pluto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I believe so, and he refused, obviously. Personally, I am glad he did. I think the whole idea was rather stupid. To me, it just seemed so... is sacreligious the term to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 My version of The Planets includes recordings of Close Enounters and Star Wars. A JW Pluto would be amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Perhaps, but would it have been Williams or Williams doing Holst? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Mars was my senior year high school concert band contest piece and I had the trumpet solo in that, so I have a very soft spot in my heart for it. I've also be very fortunate to conduct it in concert as an adult. During a rehearsal of it, my bass clarinet player was complaining about the difficulty of it and asked the question "Why couldn't you have picked a different planet?" So I responded, "Well, I could have picked Uranus (said your anus)" Took 10 minutes for the band to stop laughing.Anyways:1) Mars2) Jupiter3) Uranus4) Venus5) Mercury6) Saturn7) Neptune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxxie 1 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I've never heard of these! Is there a free download anywhere? They sound pretty cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I've never heard of these! Is there a free download anywhere? They sound pretty cool! I believe you'll find what you're looking for right here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I've never heard of these! Is there a free download anywhere? They sound pretty cool! If you've heard Gladiator, you've at least heard Mars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indy4 155 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 I've only heard Mars, but I love it. Are the rest worth getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Yes, but this Thread also makes me curious to know: which recording is generally considered the best? I cannot find my Disk right now, so I do not know which one I own, but I would still like to know nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 There are A LOT of recordings. Since we're all JW fans, I'd suggest to get the one that includes Close Encounters and Star Wars. Datameister linked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 The rest is definitely worth buying. I don't know which recording is "best", but I really like the one I have. It's from the 80s, actually - IIRC, I think John Williams conducted it. I can't find this specific album online, though, and I don't have the jewel case with me to examine it for details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckM 1 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Jupiter and Mars are tied for first. The rest are all tied for second. All of it is excellent.My favorite recording is this one by the LSO.And, considering how cheap it is ($0.01), there's really no excuse not to own it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I have the Previn conducted version released on Telarc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yes, but this Thread also makes me curious to know: which recording is generally considered the best?Many consider Dutoit the best, and it's damn good indeed. I also really like the Karajan recording a lot, more than I'd expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Oh and you have not heard The Planets until you've heard the James Levine CSO version. As discussed here Even Steef complimented classical music with that one. Seriously, get it, if nothing else then for Levine and the CSO's....breathtaking performance of Mars. The bringer of war has never sounded that heart-attack inducing.The Levine is the definitive recording IMO, overall. All the other ones are either performed like ketchup or mixed in with that irritating back row concert acoustics that is...dreadful. And seeing as most of us here are soundtrack fans, Levine's is up there with the best of Bruce Botnick in terms of recording quality and mixing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Jupiter is like an even more fantastic version of the "Journey to the Island," which to begin with is great.I never really thought to compare those two...I mean, they both alternate between major-key passages of grandeur and more lighthearted intimacy, but actually listening, they're quite different experiences, for me at least.Apples and oranges really.Very much so. Jupiter and Mars sit at opposite ends of the "loud music" spectrum, and both work fantastically in their own ways, which makes comparing them quite difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Yes, but this Thread also makes me curious to know: which recording is generally considered the best?Many consider Dutoit the best, and it's damn good indeed. I also really like the Karajan recording a lot, more than I'd expected.I have that one and it's by far my favorite. It's the most "romantic" I think of the recordings available.Oh and you have not heard The Planets until you've heard the James Levine CSO version. As discussed here Even Steef complimented classical music with that one. Seriously, get it, if nothing else then for Levine and the CSO's....breathtaking performance of Mars. The bringer of war has never sounded that heart-attack inducing.The Levine is the definitive recording IMO, overall. All the other ones are either performed like ketchup or mixed in with that irritating back row concert acoustics that is...dreadful. And seeing as most of us here are soundtrack fans, Levine's is up there with the best of Bruce Botnick in terms of recording quality and mixing.Agreed 100%There are also several concert band recording of it that are quite good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_twinkle 48 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Much as I love Jupiter I have heard it played badly by so many youth orchestras that it's not in my top 3 anymore. Mars is of course fantastic and paved the way for many a film composer. Next I put Saturn. This contains some of the creepiest and downright scariest music ever composed IMO. I think Goldsmith might have listened to a few bars of Saturn before composing some of the earlier scenes from Alien. Next Venus. It's just beautiful. Mercury and Jupiter next. Finally Saturn and Uranus, both fantastic. The whole piece is a towering achievement. Now apart from that and the St Pauls Suite and a few church songs WHAT THE HELL ELSE DID HOLST WRITE? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Now apart from that and the St Pauls Suite and a few church songs WHAT THE HELL ELSE DID HOLST WRITE? First Suite in Eb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 That's like asking..."Besides Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica what else did Newton write?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Barnsbury 8 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 "Jupiter" is amazing. You'll like it if you like Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datameister 2,042 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 "Jupiter" is amazing. You'll like it if you like Williams.Indeed. It's got numerous great melodic ideas and lovely orchestration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownerFan 4,983 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Wasn't it rumored that Williams was approached to write Pluto?I didn't know that, but it's likley, I think. However, the "official" Pluto movement was written in 2000 by British composer Colin Matthews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Wasn't it rumored that Williams was approached to write Pluto?He might not have written for Pluto, but I think the theme he wrote for The Planet Krypton is easily as good as anything Pluto would've gotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry B 50 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I really like Neptune, the Mystic. Mars and Jupiter are great but sometimes I'm not looking for bombast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Mars is like Ride of the Valkyries: so overplayed by everyone and their brother that I really don't care listening to either piece of music anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Now apart from that and the St Pauls Suite and a few church songs WHAT THE HELL ELSE DID HOLST WRITE? First Suite in Eb!And Second Suite (which I like better, having played both), and In the Bleak Mid-Winter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Both Military Suites are awesome to play. I can't pick favorites, they're both great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Ride of the Valkyries is like Also sprach Zarathustra and Peer Gynt: Most people have never heard the real thing.Now apart from that and the St Pauls Suite and a few church songs WHAT THE HELL ELSE DID HOLST WRITE? A Choral Symphony and a Hymn of Jesus, neither of which ever made an impression on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Both Military Suites are awesome to play. I can't pick favorites, they're both great.I always forget which one it is - and I should know as a band director - but the one with The Blacksmith Hymn is the one I don't like. We did it once in graduate school using a railroad tie in the percussion section in stead of an anvil or a break drum and everyones ears nearly bled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 That's the third movement of the Second Suite, "Song of the Blacksmith." That one's hard to play because of how frequently the meter changes, meaning the low brass and percussion need to be on the ball to keep the beat going steadily. You know how often THAT'S going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genius_Gone_Insane 5 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 all are great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxxie 1 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Thanks DM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Would anyone here say that THIS is a good classical music album, akin to a JW greatest hits compilation?My brother likes JW and lots of other film music, but he's not too keen about trying anything classical, to my annoyance. I had to persuade him to try Tchaikovsky, which he did like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Any multi-disc set of classical music you can get cheaply is bound to be a good starter set of classical music. Though that set claims to be 101 greats and only lists 99 tracks. Perhaps "Pictures at an Exhibition" includes both Hut on Fowl's Legs and The Great Gate of Kiev sewn together as one track (the only way to listen to it), but claimed to be two pieces like on every other CD. I'd be wary about other pieces like The Sorcerer's Apprentice, William Tell, and the 1812 Overture, which are often abridged for sets like these because they're rather lengthy pieces, and the albums are touting variety and quantity of pieces on sets like this.The Classical Thunder set by Time-Life is a very fine set, also, if you can get your hands on it, though it sticks to the more bombastic pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 The Sorcerer's Apprentice, William TellWhere those two are concerned, I personally prefer the abridged versions. They are harmless choice cuts, in my humble one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wojo 2,453 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Nah. I love playing the middle portion to William Tell, the part that reminds me of commercials for breakfast waffles, to those who have not heard it before. They've no clue what it is until the trumpet kicks in the Lone Ranger's music. Awesome transition.But if the introduction to the whole Overture (the low part) isn't played fast enough, the...whole...thing...........just...................................drags.................................................................................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 That's the third movement of the Second Suite, "Song of the Blacksmith." That one's hard to play because of how frequently the meter changes, meaning the low brass and percussion need to be on the ball to keep the beat going steadily. You know how often THAT'S going to happen.First trumpet does too. OYE! Took me a week to get the pattern down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry B 50 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 For an introduction to classical music I wouldn't go with anything really jaunty. Pieces like the 1812 Overture get a bad rap for being pompous and frilly. It's excellent music, of course, but to the uneducated listener it's going to sound like such a cliche. For Tchaikovsky I'd rather go with Swan Lake; it's well known but not bombastic. I'd also get some really ethereal music. Neptune, the Mystic (as I mentioned before), some Chopin, any Debussy... early music, if you think he's up for it, like Machaut and any Renaissance madrigal (Rore, Marenzio and Gesualdo come to mind). Subtle music like that doesn't sound like a good introduction but I know girls who swoon when they hear Clair de Lune (Debussy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Parker 3,040 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I would also like to add Franz Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony" to this list of recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsfan301 11 Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I know girls who swoon when they hear Clair de Lune (Debussy).I sleep when I hear Clair de Lune. No joke - my wife played it for her senior recital in undergrad. I was out like a light. But, she also did the whole cycle that Clair de Lune is in and Debussy in general puts me out.If you're going to introduce someone to opera, don't take them to see Wagner either. Start them off subtle, Marriage of Figaro or something along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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