Search - Gustav Holst, John [Film Composer] Williams, Zubin Mehta :: Holst: The Planets

Great Recording! Good Sound for an ADD source!

Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 07/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Holst's "The Planets" ranks among my favourite classical pieces ever and this version by Mehta and the LA Philharmonic is the best version I've heard. In addition, the sound quality is quite good given the age of the recording and the fact that it comes from an analogue original source and so I can only imagine how much better this would be if it ever gets a remastering job from the best master tapes in Decca's vault.



Another reason why this cd deserves 5 stars is the fact that you get John Williams' "Close Encounters of the Third Kind Suite" and the "Star Wars Main Title" tracks here as well. It's just a stroke of inspiration putting these similarly-themed pieces on one disc.



Probably the best version of "The Planets" overall that you can get out there and at an unbelievably low price. Great value, good sound, great track selections.



Highly recommended."

ALMOST A REFERENCE RECORDING

L. E. Roberts | Escondido, CA | 11/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very good recording of The Planets. I like it even better than the Sir Alexander Gibson recording, although that was my previous favorite. This piece needs to be played dynamically, and Mehta certainly does that. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a certain amount of bombast and a decent workout for their woofers."

Of sound AND interpretation ...

_jc_ | Can | 08/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE PLANETS is one of those classics that count zillions of different versions in the catalogue. Here we can hear conductor Metha's superbly and eloquently displayed interpretive insights into one of England's jewels of music. The sound is massive and detailed, with a good dose of those fortissimos that'll garantee a big bang for your bucks. I am impressed by those superlative percussions---a department where the L.A.Philharmonic is quite confident and particularly strong. In my opinion, the strings do not possess that 'edge' in phrasing and that 'little boost' in ethereal quality that, say, possess the RLPO version with Makerras or the excellent RPO with Previn. But then, Metha's straight-ahead performance is very solid and has several great moments---such as the entry ('Mars') that pushes the work's potential to its limits. And if I was less impressed by 'Venus', the last movements, especially 'Uranus' and 'Neptune', are build with glorious radiance and sonorous bravoura! And there's the sound : Metha's is justifiably one of the great recordings (and perhaps the greatest) this work of genius has received. The couplings, 'Close Encounters' and 'Star Wars', are well-suited because 'The Planets', although it isnt, sounds much like sci-fi music. On that matter, you will not be surprised to hear the Metha/LA 'Planets' treated almost like a soundtrack or some kind of sci-fi music (!). Question of interpretation solely, the Metha/LA is surpassed either by the composer's own historic recordings or by Sir Adrian Boult's vintage versions. The Previn's (Telarc and, especially, EMI) are both very good as well but do not quite possess the bloom and zest of the Metha (though for the winds and strings of 'Venus' I definately prefer Previn). Question of sound AND interpretation, overall, Zubin Metha's L.A. Philharmonic's 'Planets' is the greatest zing around ; Decca's superb engineering (then) and transfer-to-cd (now) have kept alive one of L.A.'s best kept secrets in orchestral music. 'Go, gettem : L.A. rules!'"