Dave's Faves No. 66 (Holst)

Holst: The Planets. Montréal Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (cond.) Decca
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[@hoifcheu7533]

I run a planetarium and collect every recording of The Planets since childhood. The Dutoit version is also my favourite, though I never can explain why. Thanks for articulating so eloquently. Isn't it what a great critic does, as Pauline Kael wrote of film critics, to perform critical function to the limits of one's taste and powers with honest means of good articulation.

[@dmntuba]

That was "the magic era " for Montreal. It's a great orchestra making great sounding recordings, and during that period the only brass section that could truly give Chicago a run for their money.

[@metaljay842]

This is an amazing recording and performance. So much power and energy. Between Dutoit and Karajan it's hard to pick a favorite though sonically Dutoit definitely gets the edge. Both interpretations are incredible. We're fortunate to have so many amazing performances of this.

[@richardallen3810]

I bought the Dutoit CD when it first was released and have never bought another one as this is my favorite and so happy to hear you like it too.

[@Bent-Ed]

As a bookseller in my younger years, I fondly recall Penguin Classics releasing some fabulous recordings, sometimes marketed exclusively with what was considered their relevant book titles. This disc was often played in the shop before closing on a Friday night. Damn good recording! We would dim the lights as the chorus kicked in at the end of Neptune, chase recalcitrant booklovers out of the store and head to the pub for a few too many refreshing ales. Memories

[@lawrencejhutchinson]

I love the Steinberg as well as the Dutoit.

[@viningscircle]

Dutoit's was early in my collection. But just recently heard Karajan & Vienna for the first time, which sounded quite beautiful.

[@youtuber5305]

Didn't the composer's daughter like that recording best?

[@viningscircle]

would be interesting to know that.

[@onnoalink6694]

It's a great piece and especially when you hear & see it performed live by a good orchestra. It's a huge puzzle and fascinating to see the players really work.

[@RichardGreen422]

My fave of The Planets is also on Decca, but it is Mehta/LA Phil. The Saturn is absolutely gorgeous. And the recording captures the organ oh so well.

[@curseofmillhaven1057]

Yeah absolutely agree about the Dutiot Planets - that organ glissando in Uranus is terrifying and I remember the woofers on my speakers shaking alarmingly. Interesting mention was made of other non french repertoire Dutiot did in Montreal - I thought he's coupling of Shostakovich's 1st and 15th was interesting (much more in the 15th admittedly - terrific trombone work in that too IMO).

[@TheUtke]

There’s a story about a young Norwegian conductor, who had his London debut. At one point he asked “Trombones, can we take a look at the opening of Uranus?” Pandemonium ensued!

[@stevep7582]

I played an arrangement of The Planets for Kazoo Quartet and it sounded really cool. It was a boatload of fun.

[@geertdecoster5301]

Terrific talk.

[@GastonBulbous]

I’ve long had a soft spot for Dutoit’s recording of Ravel’s Bolero perhaps for the very reason you mention. Great bones! A really fabulous blow out toward the end. For the most part, however, I enjoy the recordings of the other “Ansermet” repertoire like Roussel and Honegger that Dutoit made for Erato more than some of his Decca recordings. But in any event, I’m relieved to hear you giving Dutoit a little love. It’s the conductors you never mention at all who are conspicuous!

[@shawnhampton8503]

A friend of a friend is a retired double bass player from Montréal Orchestra. He shared that they felt like they were recording every week it seemed - and throwing things together without much rehearsal; and he knew that it was this big marketing machine of Decca, but also shedding a spotlight on this orchestra... sometimes not very favorably. I am glad Montreal got a new hall.

[@jesustovar2549]

Hi Dave, I'm so glad to hear you talk about The Planets, I wanted to write you a comment on your video about the best versions of Holst's The Planets, I've heard many recordings because it's one of my favorite works and hearing you talk about percussion and trombones, those details are the main reasons why I love these works as well as others from post-romanticism, apart from the astrological inspiration and of course the rest of the instrumentation, and partly my fanaticism for the Star Wars saga and the John Williams soundtrack (I don't think it's plagiarism, but simply the appropriate inspiration in terms of orchestration), there was a time in which I also heard one of the versions for wind and metal bands, they are very interesting at least for my taste. I think I heard this recording of Dutoit with the Montréal Symphony, I had recently heard one of Adrian Boult's many recordings on The Planets, this one was with the London Philharmonic in 1966, excellent and faboulous in my opinion, but I think that the later recordings of The Planets directed by Boult are somewhat anti-climactic, perhaps it was due to his advanced age, typical of some directors when they reach an advanced age. Anecdote: the first time I went to listen to Los Planetas was in a live concert, the performance was incredibly good, there was a screen that showed images of the planets and the names of the movements, but for some reason, I think it was the half of Mercury something strange happened, the images regressed and it was even seen that the editor was "restarting Windows", I don't blame him, but it was embarrasing.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I can imagine it was! Thanks for sharing that story.

[@Plantagenet1956]

That’s a great assumption, Holst’s work is all band music! Fabulous to hear!

[@vincentspinelli9995]

Wonderful review. Will check it out. My favorites have been the Karajan and Steinberg versions.

[@stradivariouspaul1232]

Ah yes probably the recording I go to most often for this work, even though I like the Karajan and will always have a place for Boult as it was the recording my dad had. I only ever knew the planets up to Jupiter as a lad as my dad wasn't so fond of the ones on side b so never flipped the lp over! Even though I play the work through those first four movements are still the ones I really love - we are extensions of our parents I guess!

[@thezealouscellist1966]

I remember a trombone player I knew telling me that the reason you hear the trombones so well was because one of them had just learned he was getting fired and was giving it his all for that recording session. Not sure if that's a true story, but it's a good one!

[@Delius1958]

Thank you for talking about Gustav Holst, Dave! As always a wonderful video, education and fun. I like Holst very much and have a fine collection of CDs. Perhaps one time in your series of independent labels there will be a video about Unicorn Kanchana. They have the very best of all Holst recordings IMHO: The Hymns from the Rig Veda, recorded by David Willcocks. The RPO’s brass has a field day and blows the roof off! Oh, so much fun, just marvellous. Would be a great contender for your choice of 10 recordings. I know, it‘s your game and you are the expert here, but very few know this record and it‘s just absolutely wonderful. Greetings from Berlin, Harry

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

The problem is that the label no longer exists.

[@Delius1958]

Sure, but it would be a historical perspective. An hommage. And many LPs and CDs can still be found. Thanks for taking time!

[@robertdandre94101]

this record remember me a good souvenir.....after the publication of this recording mr charles dutoit make a signing session at record store archambault musique on st-catherine street at montréal.....i have again in my collection this recording on lp with the signing of mr dutoit on the cover.....and so i remember the critic in the french magazine ( diapason etc) on this recording....really really good critic...and this is one of my best versions...( my best is james levine,chicago,dgg)

[@Bezart34]

Another brilliant talkette! I had no idea there was a band version.... not that I will investigate, but the orchestral version is marvelous, but I reckon must be an incredibly difficult piece to 'pull off'

[@jensguldalrasmussen6446]

I was so certain, that the recording you would end up presenting as your fave, would be the Charles Groves RPO recording, that YOU hooked me on! I'm still trying to recover from the shock! 😉

[@youtuber5305]

The Neptune on that is one of the longest and one of the best.

[@youtuber5305]

The longest Neptune is Stokowski's wartime live performance and it's wonderful too.

[@JackJohnsonNY]

Great recording, although in your overall Planets survey I was introduced to the Steinberg, and it blew me away, and it's now my favorite recording of the piece. It's so utterly gripping and vivid. It's probably a little "too fast," relative to Holst's intentions, but I love it.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Actually, it's very similar to Holst himself.

[@flowsouth8496]

I would really appreciate a talk about the top ten recordings of Charles Dutoit. I don't remember you recommending any of it, but I think his Stravinsky is pretty good... right?

[@olinwilliams]

We learn from the TV show Futurama that scientists decide to change the name of Uranus due to all the jokes. The new name: Urectum!

[@grahampelliott9090]

Controversial as it may be, my current favourite Planets recording is conducted by Sir Roger Norrington.

[@williamwhittle216]

I share your opinion of Carnegie Hall acousiics. As a young man, I heard several concerts sitting in the balcony, and the sound was the best I ever heard in a concert hall, though I've never traveled that much. Sitting there, or in the loge, I would look for an empty seat in the orchestra, and grab it after intermission. I own the Dutoit/Montreal box, and dip into it occasionally. I don't think CT gave it a great review, but I consider it worth owning. Am I a victim of English propaganda? Probably!

[@gsaproposal]

Supposedly, in the early '70s Bernstein recording for Columbia, as the sound fades away at the end of Jupiter, one of the players shifted in his chair and you can hear the scraping sound of the chair's legs on the wooden floor.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

What do you mean "supposedly?" Either you have heard it and it does what you report, or you haven't heard it and you have no idea. Which is it?

[@gsaproposal]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I just wondered if you ever heard about this.

[@stddisclaimer8020]

@@gsaproposal It's option #2. You've no idea.

[@Baritocity]

In search of my own favorite, I've streamed on youtube all of the Planet Suites you've mentioned so far. I haven't liked all of them equally. As a former band student, it's the one classical piece I've known the longest, so I'm pickier about how a recording sounds. For me, it's Mackerras' recording, but I remember liking Dutoit's.

[@djbabymode]

Dave, are you a Frank Zappa fan? I feel like he has a lot in common with Haydn and I feel like people who like Haydn are the type to like Zappa and vice versa.

[@Symphonic76]

It’s an interesting theory, though I cannot say it can be implied to all. I’m a big fan of Zappa, but Haydn has never really been my “go-to” guy for that brand of Vienna classism. Zappa was of course heavily inspired by musique concrete and other avant-garde sounds, and he always made sure to quote Varese on the album sleeve.

[@djbabymode]

@@Symphonic76 if haydn isn't your "go to guy", you're missing out

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes.

[@djbabymode]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Awesome. I figured as much, as David Goza is also a fan of both.

[@flexusmaximus4701]

Did Haydn like muffins ? As Zappa did.

[@chadweirick67]

Does anyone happen to know which big name recording of the planets has a very unfortunate clarinet squeak during Saturn? I remember having this recording as a kid..and l listened to it so much i now cant listen to any version without heating that sqeak lol.. I thought it might be Ormandy but I g

[@robertdandre94101]

the principal clarinet player at osm in this years was émilio la curto......

[@hwelf11]

I wonder if Monsieur Dutoit was familar with Richard Strauss' "10 Golden Rules" for young conductors. Number 4 I believe was "Never look encouragingly at the brass" (of course everyone knows he meant "the trombones."

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Stupid rule. It's a cute line, but why does anyone believe him?

[@hwelf11]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I've always thought that Strauss had his tongue in his cheek for that one, and I still do.

[@leestamm3187]

@@DavesClassicalGuide I think it was one of his frequent wise cracks. To judge from the biographical stuff I've read, I'm pretty sure he'd have found it humorous that anyone took it seriously.

[@philipmay3548]

You fooled me - I thought you'd go for Steinberg/Boston.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Love it. I could have.

[@richardwilliams473]

I distinctly remember the recording with William Steinberg conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I was absolutely astounded by the the fast tempo of the Mars movement with an emphasis on the first beat of the 5/4 !!! Being a timpanist myself, I have played this part and there was no accent on the first beat as I recall. Obviously the conductor superseded the composers original intentions which is his peragative. In this instance I rejected the recording for that reason. Often , conductors will override the composer s original score which I find annoying. Just saying. What say you, David?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I think Steinberg is fabulous.

[@joewebb1983]

💯 agree. Steinberg's Mars is a knockout.