Holst : The Planets - Rimski-Korsakov : Suite De "Mlada" [CD de audio] Womens Voices Of The Sixteen, Gustav Holst and Evgeni Sve

The orchestral suite from The Planets by Gustav Holst is one of the most spectacular compositions for a symphony orchestra. Considering the time at which the piece was completed, in 1917, it is doubly surprising how Holst, together with Mahler and Schönberg, was able to find such a profound symphonic dimension, completely his own and, in fact, galactic, that here it almost reaches colors of Psychedelic sound that is not even experienced or not so densely with Mahler. When thinking about the planets, one feels the immense grandeur, the breadth of the universe, the gravitational forces. Like a symphonic science fiction film, the suite plays in our inner ear. Holst loved English songs and dances and was a master of orchestration. His mysticism is reflected above all in the Venus and Jupiter pieces. However, he never falls into esoteric language, his music is always elevated and in a strange way, yet grounded. Inc the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a genius at orchestration. His Mlada suite is an under-performed masterpiece full of Russian heaviness, drenched in Slavic temperament, but never sentimental in just one way. It is always a story told in images, the musical event never fades, it remains as clear as a large cathedral window.