THE PLANETS WITH HEYWARD
Gustav Holst
Born September 21 , 1874 in Cheltenham , United Kingdom ; Died May 25 , 1934 in London , United Kingdom
THE PLANETS [ 1914 – 17 ]
Gustav Holst only ever studied subjects that suggested music . In his mid-twenties , gripped by Sanskrit literature , he enrolled in a Sanskrit course and began developing translations for his operas Sita and Savitri and settings of hymns from the Rig Veda . But by 1913 , Holst ’ s imagination was struck anew — by astrology . “ Everything in this world ,” the composer mused , “ is just one big miracle . Or rather , the universe itself is one .” While on holiday to Mallorca with fellow composers Balfour Gardiner and Arnold Bax and Arnold ’ s brother , the poet Clifford Bax , Holst had encountered the metaphysical subject that would inspire his most enduring work : The Planets .
Over the next four years , Holst completed the suite ’ s seven movements , working in a rented cottage near Thaxted , Essex , and in a soundproofed room at St . Paul ’ s Girls ’ School , where he was Director of Music . He composed “ Mars ” first , followed by “ Venus ” and “ Jupiter ” shortly after the onset of the First World War . Rejected from service in the Royal Army Medical Corps due to his nearsightedness and neuritis in his right hand , Holst worked : “ Saturn ,” “ Uranus ,” and “ Neptune ” were completed in 1915 , with “ Mercury ” following shortly thereafter .
Holst called The Planets a “ series of mood pictures ” in which the planets act as “ foils to one another .” “ Mars , the Bringer of War ” is violent battle music in a relentless 5 / 4 time ; “ Venus , the Bringer of Peace ” replies with tranquil woodwinds and strings in a serene 4 / 4 adagio that swells briefly before returning to a lilting repose . “ Mercury , the Winged Messenger ” flits by in a triplemeter , mercurial scherzo before a playful opening in “ Jupiter , the Bringer of Jollity ” propels to a familiar , majestic tune — the patriotic hymn “ I Vow to Thee , My Country ,” which originated in Holst ’ s suite . “ Saturn , the Bringer of Old Age ”— Holst ’ s favorite — tolls the passage of time with ostinato chords leading to an enormous , triple-forte climax before it is supplanted by whimsical pranks and unmistakable reminiscences of Dukas ’ s Sorcerer ’ s Apprentice in “ Uranus , the Magician .” Closing the suite is “ Neptune , the Mystic .” Then the farthest known planet , Neptune is here depicted in part using what was at the time a novel approach : the inclusion of a chorus in a symphonic work , engineered to fade into nothingness . And what of Pluto ? Holst ’ s suite predated the now-demoted planet ’ s discovery by a little over a decade . When asked in 1930 whether he would add another movement , however , Holst declined .
The war dragged on , and the possibility of an orchestral performance remained out of reach . Thus , it was not until late February 1919 that The Planets received its first public performance . That first outing was incomplete , with “ Venus ” and “ Neptune ” omitted , the conductor feeling that “ when [ the public ] are being given a totally new language […] 30 minutes of it is as much as they can take in .” Nevertheless , Holst ’ s suite soon became a cultural cornerstone , and Holst was catapulted to fame . Despite his newfound prominence , Holst remained delightfully without airs . He continued teaching at St . Paul ’ s until his death in 1934 and carried on indulging his favorite pastime — his “ pet vice ”— interpreting his friends ’ horoscopes .
Instrumentation : Four flutes ( two doubling piccolo ), three oboes , English horn , three clarinets , bass clarinet , three bassoons , contrabassoon , six horns , four trumpets , three trombones , two tubas , two timpani , percussion , two harps , celeste , organ , strings , and an offstage six-part women ’ s chorus .
HEATHER O ’ DONOVAN is an artist and writer whose program notes have appeared at Carnegie Hall , the Manhattan School of Music , the Aspen Music Festival and School , and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra . She is the dramaturg and librettist of Princess Ida : The Glow Up , a Gilbert & Sullivan adaptation to be premiered by the Manhattan School of Music Undergraduate Opera Theatre in May 2025 .
February 2 , 2025 at 4 pm hayDn : The CreaTion
Sung in English , using John Milton ’ s original poem
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation 7401 Park Heights Ave . | Baltimore
February 9 , 2025 at 4 pm
bach works for trumpet and orGan
Chorales for Trumpet and Organ & more !
St . Joseph ’ s Parish 100 Church Lane | Cockeysville
KIDS come free concert
march 2 , 2025 at 4 pm
bach , hanDeL , pacheLbeL and LaschanZky
BACH Air on the G String , PACHELBEL Canon in D & more !
Church of the Resurrection 11525 Greenspring Ave . | Lutherville
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Bach in Baltimore is supported in part by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council , William G . Baker , Jr . Memorial Fund , Harford County Cultural Arts Board , Howard County Arts Council , Howard County , Paul M . Angell Family Foundation , Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts , Citizens of Baltimore County , Peggy & Yale Gordon Trust , Lois & Philip Macht Family Philanthropic Fund , Dr . Frank C . Marino Foundation , Ensign C . Markland Kelly , Jr . Memorial Foundation , BCF Mitzvah Fund , the Wolman Family Foundation , and the T . Rowe Price Foundation .
JAN-FEB 2025 | OVERTURE | 15