Search - Gustav Holst, John [Film Composer] Williams, Richard [1] Strauss :: Holst: The Planets/John Williams: Star Wars/Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Out of This World

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com | Glen Ellyn, IL USA | 06/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the version of "Star Wars" you want. It has the raucus, almost bawdy victorious power you remember from the movie.Likewise are the other pieces. Besides being the themes from "Star Wars", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Close Encounters", there is the classical classic (can I say that?) work, "The Planets" by Holst.I think the them to 2001 ("Thus Spake Zarathustra") also was the intro the famous Macintosh commerical (1984 Superbowl?).These are more than pop-culture favorites that happen to be orchestral works. They are sophisticated and poetic, with more than easy melodies sweeping occasionally.These are the complete suites. You might remember the glorious intro to 2001, but enjoy with this CD the full piece: almost 33 minutes.The pace and range of the music undulates from serene, almost pastoral quietude to raging, fist in air excitement.I fully recommend "Holst: The Planets/John Williams: Star Wars/Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra."Anthony Trendl"

Into Deep Space With Mehta And The L.A. Philharmonic

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 03/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the best double-CD sets in classical music is this superlative reissue of top-notch performances of space-related music by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the conductor who put it into world-class status, Zubin Mehta.On Disc One, we get the orchestra's epic 1971 recording of Gustav Holst's celebrated suite "The Planets." In terms of the recording and performance, this has to rank as one of the greatest recordings this piece has ever had, right alongside Ormandy's equally vibrant 1975 RCA recording. The women's voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in "Neptune" are appropriately haunting and interstellar. This is followed by the orchestra and the chorale in a 13-minute arrangement of themes from the 1977 Steven Spielberg sci-fi classic CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND by John Williams, and it is something to behold.Disc 2 opens up with the celebrated "Dawn" sequence that opens up Richard Strauss' celebrated tone poem "Also Sprach Zarathustra"--the music that became well known worldwide in 1968 thanks to director Stanley Kubrick's cagey use of it in his classic sci-fi epic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Mehta and the orchestra recorded Strauss' 34 minute tone poem shortly after "2001" was released, and they came up with a version that arguably surpasses the 1954 Reiner/Chicago version that so often grabs the glory. The disc concludes with more John Williams, this time a symphonic suite of themes from STAR WARS, dating like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS from 1977. This ultra-familiar music is excellently performed and recorded.Mehta and the L.A. Philharmonic made a great deal of fine recordings, and the four works featured on this double-disc set are proof of that. This is a two-fer that is not to be missed."

A powerful spatial combination

darsat | Texas, America | 12/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm glad someone else realizes Mehta conducts Williams better than Williams. The phrasing and balances are much better. The Planets is excellent, although some of the newest DG 4-D wonders are good sonically. But Mehta simply lets the music play itself without too much fussing. Most impressive, however, is the Zarathustra. It is one of the best because it uses a REAL pipe organ, not one of those electronic sheep bleeting things that masks out both the orchestra and the composer's spine-tingling harmonics that make this piece so awesome. Anyway, it is a superb collection of space-related works that also stands the test of classic concert scrutiny. This is simply the best overall collection of this music available."