Program Notes }
smaller-scale works for instruments and
voices had won him esteem in musical
circles, but little public attention.
Holst’s first and only work for very large
orchestra, The Planets created an immediate sensation. The New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony fought so
heatedly for the American premiere that
a compromise had to be struck: both performed it on the same day, but New York
received the edge because of the time-zone
difference. But Holst stuck to his credo:
he never did repeat himself with another
big work in this style.
Not a symphony, The Planets is a series
of seven subtly interrelated tone poems
or, as Holst preferred, “mood pictures.”
When Holst wrote them from 1914 to
1916, he had become very interested in
astrology. Thus, he was actually thinking
more about the astrological influence of
the planets on man’s character than their
qualities as celestial bodies. Each planet
bears a subtitle revealing the movement’s
overall mood.
The Planets
The Planets’ dazzling orchestration is
the key to its impact. Holst had earned
his living for many years as an orchestral
trombonist and thus knew the orchestra
from the inside. His giant orchestra —
including organ and a generous percussion section— provides not only power for
“Mars,” “Jupiter,” and “Saturn,” but an extensive palette of soft colors for the subtler
“Venus,” “Mercury,” and “Neptune.”
Mars, the Bringer of War: So powerful is “Mars” as an evocation of modern
warfare’s savagery that listeners assumed
Holst must have been reacting to the
news from World War I’s trenches.
However, “Mars” was actually composed
in 1914 before that fatal August. In the
unusual meter of 5/4, it opens with a relentless rhythmic ostinato — first tapped
out by timpani and violins striking their
strings with the wood of their bows —
that gradually mounts to an ear-splitting
din. Horns and bassoons introduce the
ominous three-note principal motive that
ends with a dissonant half-step fall. Holst
instructed that “Mars” be played as fast
and brutally as possible.
Venus, the Bringer of Peace: The
antithesis of “Mars,” “Venus” is a very soft
and lyrical slow movement featuring peaceful descending lines for flutes, a sweetly
pastoral melody for solo violin, and the
bell-like sounds of celesta and harps.
Mercury, the Winged Messenger:
Inspired by the Greek messenger of the
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