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The Planets - Holst (1916)
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The Planets, suite for large orchestra and voices Opus 32

Space and moon images Courtesy of NASABeing a passionate lover of mysticism and astrology, Holst combined his hobby into the music he wrote. Holst was not a regular musician. He did not compose big works like concertos and symphonies, and he did not even compose a lot of chamber music. He composed various pieces, and this is the most famous one of them all. He used a grand orchestra in order to describe the planets of our solar system, through the most amazing orchestral effects.

In this suite, he dedicates a symphonic poem to each one of the planets, and one of his friends told once that after he immortalized his astronomic hobby in his music, Holst grew out of interest in Astronomy at all.
The order of poem is as follows:
Mars (war)þþ
The cruel, unmerciful war god; some people say Holst was affected by the First World War and its horrors when he wrote this piece.
Venus (peace)þ
A complex, calm description of peace.
Mercury (a winged deliverer)
Short and bight.
Jupiter (joy)
A sort of a jumpy, joyful fair, full of playful folk tunes.
þSaturn (old age)
Presents old age, bringing regret and remorse but also the wisdom of the elderly.
Uranus (wizard)þ
Dazzles those who see him (or hear him...) in the magic tricks he makes.
Neptune (mystery)þ
A woman choir singing mysteriously, slightly frighteningly, and with barely no words.

The planet Pluto was only discovered 20 years after this piece was written, and so it was not included in the orchestral suite "The Planets".

The impressive work Holst composed is, with no doubt, one of the best programme pieces in the classical repertory; alongside Mussorgski's "Picture at an Exhibition", and the "Four Seasons" presented by Vivaldi, it offers a fascinating example of painting in sounds, as an accomplished composer should be able to create.
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