Which movement of Holst's "The Planets" suite is your favorite?

[Faleel 5,400]

choose!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Neptune. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an arse!

Venus is a close second. Saturn too.

[Faleel 5,400]

Neptune is not for the faint of heart!

[Quintus 5,399]

Mars, ever since playing Return Fire with me mate on the Panasonic 3DO.

[indy4 155]

Uranus

[publicist 4,643]

Jupiter

[nightscape94 965]

Jupiter

[crocodile 8,033]

I love all of it, heard it live and it was amazing.

But for all its colour and occasional bombast, the suite would be nothing without Neptune. Now, that's truly cosmic and transcendental piece of music.

Saturn would come second with its ancient majestic beauty, then Mars and Jupiter (more obvious crowd-pleasers).

Karol

[Romão 2,274]

Uranus as wrong as it sounds...

[KK 3,307]

Neptune, followed by Jupiter, and then Mars.

The whole thing is great, but the real magic is in Neptune.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I love all of it, heard it live and it was amazing.

But for all its colour and occasional bombast, the suite would be nothing without Neptune. Now, that's truly cosmic and transcendental piece of music.

Saturn would come second with its ancient majestic beauty, then Mars and Jupiter (more obvious crowd-pleasers).

Karol

Right on, my brother!

[RedBard 71]

I've always pictured Jupiter as a potential candidate for an imagined future "Fantasia" Film. It goes through an emotional arc, which I love it above the others.

Mars is a close second.

[Glóin the Dark 1,229]

Saturn.

[crocodile 8,033]

Saturn.

Good choice.

Karol

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

6:00 - the end. Magic.

This is from the definitive performance of the suite for me, Sir Charles Groves/RPO. I've unfortunately not been able to find a copy of it anywhere other than Youtube. One of my "grails."

Whole thing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0AE2BE2489B2536B

[Faleel 5,400]

My favorite (well its the only one I have) is the Williams/BPO recording

[tedfud 38]

gawd...like picking a fav child......neptune

t

[Jilal 569]

Mars!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Venus, 'cos I'm a jazzhead and essentially a romantic at heart (despite my warlike nature on these forums). It's those minor 9ths, man.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Heard the original piano version? Exceedingly jazzy, especially Jupiter.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Yes, that's rather lovely.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,070]

Saturn is incredible. It just builds and builds. Until it turns into this haunting finale that is to die for.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I have pretty acute synesthesia, and the finale of Saturn is one of the most vivid pieces of music to experience like that.

Poor Mercury. What, no one likes those off-kilter rhythms and folksy violin solos?

[Datameister 2,072]

When I was a kid, it was Jupiter, easily, with Uranus coming in second. Mars gradually became my favorite as I got a little older.

These days, I have a very hard time picking a favorite. Venus is probably my least favorite, but the others are all so brilliant that it's tough to choose. Mars has its relentless brutality...Mercury balances scherzo-like lightheartedness with some more fervent melodies...Jupiter still stuns me with the emotional arc mnac87 referred to...Saturn seems to say something complex about loss, the passage of time, and redemption...Uranus is such a wonderfully grotesque romp that my siblings and I used to dance around to it when we were kids, pretending we were goblins...and then there's Neptune, which I think comes closer to sonically describing the vast, indifferent cold of space than any other piece of music I've heard.

My favorite movement is probably whichever one I'm listening to at the moment.

[Faleel 5,400]

Venus is probably my least favorite,

Reasons?

[Kühni 485]

.

[KK 3,307]

I have pretty acute synesthesia, and the finale of Saturn is one of the most vivid pieces of music to experience like that.

Poor Mercury. What, no one likes those off-kilter rhythms and folksy violin solos?

I love Mercury! One of my favourite examples of great scherzo writing.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

If Jeremy Soule were a member here, he would praise its "chromaticism, counterpoint, and scherzo orchestration textures."

[Datameister 2,072]

Venus is probably my least favorite,

Reasons?

It's not that I hate it or anything - and I think the idea of it is great. The suite needs a sweet and peaceful movement after the violence of Mars. But the execution just leaves me a little cold. Compared to the rest of the suite, it doesn't strike me as especially evocative or memorable. It's overlong as well, although the final minutes are quite lovely.

[Mr. Brown 91]

Jupiter

I hate when "epic" is used to describe things, but that music is truly epic.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Neptune, especially that weird chord in the winds and brass that interrupts the womens' choir late in the piece. So creepy.

Yep, Cm/Em. Very STAR WARS Main Titleish.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

My favorite Neptune chord: 3:54

[nightscape94 965]

This is from the definitive performance of the suite for me, Sir Charles Groves/RPO. I've unfortunately not been able to find a copy of it anywhere other than Youtube. One of my "grails."

Is this not it?

[Marian Schedenig 8,239]

Most of them. It used to be a tie between Mars and Jupiter, and it took me a long time to warm up to Neptune, but they're all great in their own different ways. Saturn is amazing when done well. I guess Venus and Mercury are second tier for me, but all the rest is probably tied as my favourite.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

This is from the definitive performance of the suite for me, Sir Charles Groves/RPO. I've unfortunately not been able to find a copy of it anywhere other than Youtube. One of my "grails."

Is this not it?

Last time I looked it was out of stock. Thanks!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

My favorite Neptune chord: 3:54

Jerry loved it too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZPFgI4xMFg

@1:42

[nightscape94 965]

This is from the definitive performance of the suite for me, Sir Charles Groves/RPO. I've unfortunately not been able to find a copy of it anywhere other than Youtube. One of my "grails."

Is this not it?

Last time I looked it was out of stock. Thanks!

Only one left. Snatch it up, posthaste!

[Wojo 2,453]

Earth, The Thing I Wipe My Feet On.

[Not Mr. Big 4,651]

Jupiter.

[Incanus 5,723]

It is a fantastic orchestral piece as a whole, very evocative.

I'll go with Neptune, the Mystic.

Jupiter is not much of a character portrait of Juppiter/Zeus (who is hardly the Bringer of Jollity in Antiquity no matter which way you look at him) but a highly entertaining piece none the less and comes close second with Saturn.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,636]

"SATURN" RULES!!!!!!!!!!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Uranus

He he he....

[Naïve Old Fart 9,636]

It had to happen, eventually.

[Jay 37,456]

Is it bad that I've never heard The Planets before?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Never listened. It's not film music so my interest is zero.

[nightscape94 965]

Is it bad that I've never heard The Planets before?

You may not have known it by name as a concert work "The Planets", but it would be almost impossible for you not to have at least heard bits of Mars or Jupiter in your lifetime, even by accident.

By the way....

POST NUMBER 5000!!!!!!!!

Being a member for so long, it's a milestone that I wanted to reach.

[Jay 37,456]

Congrats nightscape!

[nightscape94 965]

I already have May 2024 marked on my calendar for post number 10,000

[Romão 2,274]

Is it bad that I've never heard The Planets before?

Being a film music fan, I find it near to imposible that you won't enjoy this one

[Incanus 5,723]

Is it bad that I've never heard The Planets before?

Being a film music fan, I find it near to imposible that you won't enjoy this one

Yup. The suite feels quite cinematic, not least because it has inspired a lot of film music.