Notes and Editorial Reviews
Ormandy's version of The Planets was one of his most impressive records made in the last years before his retirement as principal conductor of the great Philadelphia Orchestra. Clearly the adrenalin is running fast from the very opening of "Mars" and with committed playing from the orchestra this performance is compulsive and rewarding throughout. The aggressive force of "Mars" helped by the fiercely brilliant sound is matched by the contrasting sense of repose in the beautifully translucent portrayal of "Venus", the sensuality only gently hinted at but certainly coming over.
Ormandy paces the famous central tune of "Jupiter" slowly and accents its outline rather effectively, but the
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most striking characterization comes with the superbly atmospheric "Saturn" which has a noble melancholy, the sharply vital "Uranus" and the mistily evocative "Neptune", with the ending uncommonly well tapered off.
-- Ivan March, Gramophone [8/1981, reviewing The Planets on LP]
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Works on This Recording
1.
The Planets, Op. 32/H 125 by Gustav Holst
Conductor:
Eugene Ormandy
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Philadelphia Orchestra
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1914-1916; England
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