Comments on: Which of Holst's Planets Sounds the Best?

Question: Which of Holst's Planets Sounds the Best?

bach — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:29:45 -0800

Seeking the definitive recording of Gustav Holst's The Planets. In planning for the 2008 competitive marching season, we have selected music from The Planets. The entire staff has listened to several versions of the work, but thought I'd use my bi-weekly question and query the hivemind as to the best recording of this work since we cannot seem to settle on a particular interpretation.

By: Class Goat

Class Goat — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:20:10 -0800

I've heard many, and in my opinion the best was a recording by William Steinberg and the Boston Symphony, which was issued by Deutsche Grammaphon. Unfortunately, that was 35 years ago.

It's listed here, so maybe it's still available.

By: b1tr0t

b1tr0t — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:23:38 -0800

Definitely available, with Also Sprach Zarathustra bonus tracks.

DG recordings never go away.

By: b1tr0t

b1tr0t — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:24:23 -0800

[also available as an mp3 download, but beware that if you get the MP3s, you only get to download them once. So download carefully!]

By: The Shiny Thing

The Shiny Thing — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:32:52 -0800

I have the Charles Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra version, which is pretty good.

(Disclaimer - I'm not exactly a classical guru, so I have to defer to Class Goat on this...)

By: Xere

Xere — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:40:36 -0800

I have a recording by the Hallé Orchestra. Can't seem to find the exact CD, but this one seems to be the same. An extra is the specially-commissioned "Pluto".

By: Etaoin Shrdlu

Etaoin Shrdlu — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:18:19 -0800

Don't know about the music quality, but without a doubt the Westminster Records recording has the best cover art.

By: hortense

hortense — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:51:23 -0800

I like the Andre Previn Royal Philharmonic

By: ChickenringNYC

ChickenringNYC — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:10:15 -0800

If you want to browse some pro reviews, join http://gramophone.co.uk/ and their Gramophile thing. It's free access to tons of their reviews. You can search for all their reviews of The Planets and see what they think. After all, they've listened to tons.

By: shadow vector

shadow vector — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:37:16 -0800

I've listened to versions conducted by Solti, Dutoit, and Karajan and of the three prefer the Karajan.