Holst: The Planets

This CD were recorded with Surround System. In Home Cinema Systems or a Superb Stereo Systems, this recording can be played with excellent results.

As you know, "The Planets" is most famous and Most beatiful work by Holst. Supposing that, this is a film music. This Suite to take form in 7 movements. There isn't a Pluto movement, because, this planet was discovered in 30's (one or two years before Holst's death). And, in 1999, Colin Matthews written a new movement to named "Pluto, The Renewer" addition to suite's last movement "Neptune, The Mystic"...(Recording of this work is avaliable on Naxos conducted by David Lloyd - Jones)

And the performance is amazing. Perhaps, this is the best recording of Zubin Mehta with Los Angeles PO. Especially, the brass ensemble is terrific in Mars and Uranus movements. And Offstage Women's Chorus is very impressive in Neptune. Still this movement is very very impressive...

Highly recommended.


Good, but not the best.   April 6, 2003
4 out of 8 found this review helpful

When I originally wrote this reveiw I thought "Gee, I think I'm being too negative about this CD." I thought that especially after listening to this CD again. So I decided to make some changes. Thank goodness I could edit my reveiw.

I've heard better "Planets" than this one by Zubin Mehta. This Mehta version is good for the performance, but I noticed the overmodulations in some loud parts of the CD. I think it would've been better if the recording engineers placed the microphones further away from the orchestra. In "The Planets," every once in a while, some brass instrument (maybe a trombone) on the right speaker made a rather funny raspberry sound. The voices in the choir in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" were not too bad, but better in "The Planets." Like I said, the performance is good, but I would not call it the best.

My recommendations for better versions of Holst's "The Planets": William Steinberg, a fast-paced but very well done version on Deutsche Grammophon Originals (w/ R. Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra"); Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic on London (w/ Monteux's version of Elgar's "Enigma" Variations) better than the "Karajan Gold"; Charles Dutoit on Penguin Classics; James Levine on Deutsche Grammophon; or the critically acclaimed John Eliot Gardiner version on Deutsche Grammophon (w/ Grainger's "The Warriors").

As for "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind": "Star Tracks" by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops. Another good CD is the one by Charles Gerhardt conduting the National Philharmonic Orchestra. I sorta wished one of the CDs had that particular part of "Close Encounters" that I heard in the one by Mehta (you know, the music you hear at the end of the opening credits), but I don't think that's too much of a big deal.


of sound AND interpretation ...   August 15, 2004
_jc_ (Can)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

THE PLANETS is one of those classics that count zillions of different versions in the catalogue. Here we can hear conductor Metha's superbly and eloquently displayed interpretive insights into one of England's jewels of music. The sound is massive and detailed, with a good dose of those fortissimos that'll garantee a big bang for your bucks. I am impressed by those superlative percussions---a department where the L.A.Philharmonic is quite confident and particularly strong. In my opinion, the strings do not possess that 'edge' in phrasing and that 'little boost' in ethereal quality that, say, possess the RLPO version with Makerras or the excellent RPO with Previn. But then, Metha's straight-ahead performance is very solid and has several great moments---such as the entry ('Mars') that pushes the work's potential to its limits. And if I was less impressed by 'Venus', the last movements, especially 'Uranus' and 'Neptune', are build with glorious radiance and sonorous bravoura! And there's the sound : Metha's is justifiably one of the great recordings (and perhaps the greatest) this work of genius has received. The couplings, 'Close Encounters' and 'Star Wars', are well-suited because 'The Planets', although it isnt, sounds much like sci-fi music. On that matter, you will not be surprised to hear the Metha/LA 'Planets' treated almost like a soundtrack or some kind of sci-fi music (!). Question of interpretation solely, the Metha/LA is surpassed either by the composer's own historic recordings or by Sir Adrian Boult's vintage versions. The Previn's (Telarc and, especially, EMI) are both very good as well but do not quite possess the bloom and zest of the Metha (though for the winds and strings of 'Venus' I definately prefer Previn). Question of sound AND interpretation, overall, Zubin Metha's L.A. Philharmonic's 'Planets' is the greatest zing around ; Decca's superb engineering (then) and transfer-to-cd (now) have kept alive one of L.A.'s best kept secrets in orchestral music. 'Go, gettem : L.A. rules!'