Welcome to the next installment of Building a Classical Music Collection. For those of you that have been regular readers, let me just say thank you for taking the time to read. If you are a new reader, welcome! My goal is to create an informative and useful place to begin or continue a classical music collection.
For weeks I have known that #14 on our list of the top 50 would be a recording of Gustav Holst The Planets, a seven-part suite for orchestra and female chorus. After I had chosen the recording of the piece to highlight here, I listened again to many different versions. Wow, there are many outstanding recordings of this masterpiece. But there is one that really stands out from the rest for me: The Planets as recorded by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New England Conservatory Chorus, conducted by William Steinberg from 1971 on the Deutsche Grammophon label.
Gustavus Theodore von Holst was born in Cheltenham, England in 1874, and died in London in 1934. Despite his rather German sounding name, Gustav was entirely English in his roots going back before his grandfather’s generation. Holst’s best friend was another legendary English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (you may know as the composer of “Greensleeves”). Holst grew up in a musical family, his father Adolph was a piano teacher. Along with piano, Gustav also studied the violin and trombone. Gustav had terrible asthma, and his father believed studying music might alleviate his symptoms.
As early as the age of 12, Gustav began doing some composing. Although he dabbled in orchestration, he soon became quite proficient in choral writing. He sang and played at All Saints’ Church, Cheltenham. An important moment came in 1892, when Gustav traveled to London to see a performance of the Wagner opera Gotterdammerung at Covent Garden Opera House conducted by none other than famous conductor and composer Gustav Mahler. The experience was revelatory for the young Holst. He went on to attend the Royal College of Music in London.
Holst made his living primarily by working as music director at various educational institutions, and he would compose on the side. He was very fond of English folk songs, but was also strongly influenced by the music of Wagner, Strauss, Stravinsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and various French composers. Undoubtedly Holst was also influenced by the music of his good friend Vaughan Williams, and it is also known he was profoundly impacted by seeing a production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in London. After seeing Dido and Aeneas and appreciating Purcell’s style, Holst vowed to continue the tradition of “English” sounding music. Up until the time of his composition of The Planets, Holst had become mostly known for his choral and operetta pieces such as Lansdown Castle, or The Sorcerer of Tewkesbury, Hymns from the Rig Veda, and The Cloud Messenger. He would go on to compose The Hymn of Jesus, his last important large work in 1917. Along the way, Holst composed some pieces for orchestra as well, but most of his major compositions for orchestra would wait until after The Planets.
Holst first conceived of The Planets in 1913. He had always had a wide array of interests, including being interested in far-away cultures and beliefs, and he even studied Sanskrit and Hindu literature. Holst had long been fascinated by astrology as well, and after being influenced by a book he read on horoscopes, he was inspired and determined to write a significant orchestral piece with the planets as the theme. Holst began work on The Planets in 1914 with Mars, Bringer of War being the first planet composed. Each planet is presented with its own unique character. Holst completed the final planet Mercury in 1916. It should be noted that the sequence in which the works are presented is not the order in which the planets are found from the sun, but rather meant to go from the more physical and brutal, through the peaceful and happy, to old age and the more mystical. Pluto had not been discovered at the time, and in any case has now been demoted from planetary status. The seven tone poems are as follows:
· Mars, the Bringer of War – Mars is the Greek god of war. The piece is marked by imagery of war in the sound of marching drumbeats, the building and falling chords and the huge dissonant climaxes. You can also hear the organ here helping to build the sound. Often considered to be a response to World War I, Holst denied the obvious link. Mars was the first of the planets to be composed, in 1914, before the outbreak of the Great War. However, there is no doubt that the violence and aggressiveness heard in Mars was certainly an accurate evocation of the kind of warfare that was about to be seen. It is a brutal and terrifying vision.
· Venus, the Bringer of Peace – Following the battle imagery of Mars, the peace and refinement of Venus is very welcome. The soothing sounds produced in this second poem are consistent with the astrological mythology of love being associated with those born under the sign of Venus. There is serenity and calm, dissipating the terror of the first movement.
· Mercury, the Winged Messenger – The final of the seven planets to be composed, is light and airy. It moves rather quickly, and you will notice the woodwinds in particular are delightful. The chords move nimbly between different keys, and it forms a kind of “scherzo”, or a light and playful dance. The melody comes and goes, returning many times in different forms.
· Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity – The fourth movement is Jupiter, and it is by far the most recognizable and popular movement of the seven planets. It would be difficult to find a more cinematic or atmospheric piece of music that truly gives the listener a feeling of something grand which it represents. It is epic music, just as the planet Jupiter is epic. It does indeed bring jollity, but also lots of energy and grandeur. The very famous broad tune in the middle of the movement somehow feels larger than life. In fact, the tune is so loved by the English, it is something of a national anthem, sung as the hymn “I Vow To Thee My Country” (you may have recognized it was played at Princess Diana’s funeral). In this music is found hope, happiness, a noble spirit, and an abundance of life and vitality. It richly deserves its popularity.
· Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - Saturn is said to have been Holst’s favorite of the seven movements, and it is the longest. The music is penetrating and highly creative. Flutes and harp march forward, while you hear the double basses stirring in the background. Old age is represented as a steady procession, slow but not necessarily as a negative. It is thought to be one of Holst’s most imaginative creations.
· Uranus, the Magician – Some have commented on how similar Uranus sounds to another piece by composer Paul Dukas named The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, even though Holst had never heard the Dukas piece. You begin to hear Holst attempt to portray these last few outlying planets with a more remote feeling, and yet Uranus is also full of character with brass, thumping percussion, energetic woodwinds, and passages with large climaxes. It is inventive and indeed rather magical.
· Neptune, the Mystic – We arrive at the aptly named mystic, as it is presented with quiet and delicacy. It is a quite different world from where we began with Mars. A wonderfully inventive touch was to add the wordless choir of female voices (sung off stage invisibly) toward the end, which fade to nothing as though light was disappearing into the blackness of outer space.
The first complete performance of the suite was given in 1920. The suite quickly became very popular, and is now certainly the work for which Holst is most known. In fact, Holst achieved a level of fame after The Planets that he didn’t always enjoy.
The conductor William Steinberg was a well-regarded German-American conductor of the 20th century. Born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Germany in 1899, he was relieved of his post as the director of the Frankfurt Opera in 1933 by the Nazis because he was Jewish. Steinberg and his family moved to Palestine (now Israel) and he assisted in the training of the Palestine Symphony Orchestra (later to be known as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra). There he became known by the legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, and subsequently served as Toscanini’s assistant with the NBC Symphony Orchestra radio broadcasts. He became an American citizen in 1944.
Steinberg gradually moved up the ladder with increased responsibilities, becoming the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and later the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Steinberg is most remembered for his long tenure in Pittsburgh (1952-1976), and for the many recordings he made with that orchestra during those years. However, it was during his few years at the helm of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1969-1972), that Steinberg recorded The Planets which was to become arguably his finest recording. This is the recording we will discuss here.
Steinberg was a sophisticated musician, relatively direct but expressive in style, and on the podium he led with a minimum of acrobatics. He was also known for championing lesser-known works and composers, as well as leading fresh and dynamic readings of familiar works.
Steinberg recorded The Planets with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in for the Deutsche Grammophon label in September and October 1970. Steinberg did not know the piece well before that time, but determined that he would learn it at age 70. The result is nothing less than electrifying.
As I mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of outstanding recordings of The Planets available. What makes this one so special? Here are a few of the reasons:
· The recorded sound is immediate and remarkably vivid for its time. The Planets is the kind of piece with big sound in several movements, and often recordings of it are used to demonstrate the quality of the recording or of specific playback equipment. This recording was made before the digital age, but it was state of the art for its time. It still impresses today. The climaxes have every bit of the sonic impact of recordings made much later, including digital recordings.
· The combination of warmth and detail that are hallmarks of the acoustic in Symphony Hall in Boston can be heard to great effect in this recording.
· The performance itself is exciting and white-hot. The playing reveals an enthusiasm and ardor that I find irresistible. Some critics have said this recording is taken too fast. It is true that this is one of the swiftest traversals of The Planets on record, and Steinberg does push ahead quickly in some places. However, as a whole I don’t notice it being too fast and if anything, I find it only adds to the listening experience.
· The performances of Mars and Uranus in this recording fully realize the visceral impact of the music more than any other version, and it takes a virtuoso orchestra to keep up with Steinberg’s tempo, but also to deliver the power and detail needed. Here the BSO is completely successful. The climaxes are shattering, as they should be.
· There is no lack of warmth and sensitivity in the slower movements of Venus, Mercury, and Saturn. Again, although they may be played a bit quicker than other recordings, there is plenty of beauty, charm and shimmering detail to be heard.
· The famous Jupiter movement is delivered with the utmost grandeur and panache. This version is sweeping and epic, with glowing strings and spectacular brass. I find Steinberg’s tempo in the famous middle section melody to be just right, with the emphases in the correct places. If this doesn’t move you, then I don’t know what will.
· The most recent remastering from 2018 on Blue-ray audio is an improvement in sound that makes the recording sound even better.
· The first piece on the disc is Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra also with Steinberg and the BSO from 1971. It is also given a very good performance, and is certainly worth hearing, though it is not in the same league as The Planets.
There are several other recommended recordings of The Planets if you would like to explore:
· Sir Adrian Boult conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI label, now Warner) recorded in 1978 in Kingsway Hall, London. Boult was considered the standard bearer for The Planets, as he was the first to conduct the work in 1918 and he recorded it several times in his career.
· Charles Dutoit leading the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal (Decca) recorded in 1987 in the church of St. Eustache, Montreal. For many years, this was my preferred version of The Planets. The sound is exceptional, and the performance has been critically acclaimed for many years. Although it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the Steinberg recording, it is very good.
· Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (EMI label, now Warner) recorded in 1973 in Kingsway Hall, London. Previn recorded The Planets twice, this earlier recording being the best. The sound is very good for its time, and Previn was well-known for his exceptional interpretations of British music. This is one of the best overall readings.
· Vernon Handley conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (originally recorded by Tring International, the recording has bounced around on several labels, and at times has been out of print, but now can be found on the Alto label) recorded in 1993 at St. Augustine’s Church, Kilburn, London. This is a very impressive recording with excellent sonics and a very capable conductor. It is a mystery why it is sometimes neglected.
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Notes:
Brennan, Gerald. Schrott, Allen. Woodstra, Chris. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Pp. 616-617. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
Macdonald, Hugh (2016). “The Planets,” Suite for large orchestra, Opus 32. Boston Symphony Orchestra Program Notes, Week 4, 2016-2017 Season. Pp. 47-53.
Matthews, David (2002). (1972). Gustav Holst: The Planets, Op. 32. Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra. LSO Live Liner Notes. Pp. 1-2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Steinberg