Customer Reviews
The Planets are out there and in you - By: bernie, 30 Apr 2010 
As with anything that touches upon the eternal, after the technical is accomplished, then it is a matter of preference. Here we have the Herbert Von Karajan version.
Placed side-by-side with any other version the technical parts are excellent. You are immediately taken to that other world as Mars takes over. You may be able to argue minor differences but then you are not listening to it.
The tough call is preference; most people prefer the version with which they grew up. Others may have some preferences based on what they should like. Listen to this & make up your own mind.
During the process of listening, thinking about the music & noticing how Holst capture the mood of each planet, note that he did not make up the concepts of which planet was War, Peace, Messenger, etc. They are the definitions of the original gods that the planets were named after. Each god had the attributes we see given to the planets. You may want to read about them & then come back to the music.
Holst: The Planets / R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
Great Value - By: M. J. Lamb, 06 Nov 2009 
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the whole production on this budget price CD.
Great music to include the Close Encounters & Star Wars suites which seem to blend very well with The Planets. Recommended.
Mike
CLASSICAL MASTERPIECE AND 2 X GREAT FILM SCORES AS WELL!! ESSENTIAL, ( Recommended for Classical newbies!) - By: Adam Jackson, 18 Jun 2008 For less than a tenner, this is great value!
PERFECT sound quality, full symphony orchestras & some of the finest Classical ever written!
Gustav Holst was a genius & I'd recommend the Planets Suite as THE very best place for the Classically curious to start.
Conducted here by Zubin Mehta, & brought to vivid life by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra & the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
Movements such as Mars, Jupiter, Saturn & Uranus are some of the most powerful/intense ever written - & even the lighter moments of Mercury, Venus & Neptune (spinechilling) are intoxicating! This music has probably influenced more movie score composers than anything else; Mars (Hans Zimmer/Gladiator's Battle Scene & John Williams/Star Wars) & Neptune (Jerry Goldsmith/Alien). Trust me, as you listen, you'll think "hang on, wasn't thisin You Only Live Twice etc..."
Speaking of John Williams, you also get the Star Wars-A New Hope, Main Title Theme & the Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Suite, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Star Wars, we've heard many times, but the CE3K Suite is a beautifully majestic & haunting piece that deserves to be praised more often!
As I say, GREAT VALUE, & it does not feel like a budget release.
