In addition to the details Steve Schwartz mentioned as important to a good
performance of The Planets, another detail I think Boult does better is the
snare drum which can be heard immediately after the big "splat" halfway
through Mars.  Many conductors consign it to the background as a mere
detail:  with Boult, it's far more noticeable and for me adds to the sense
of menace.

In primary (elementary) school, I learnt a piece called "I Vow to Thee,
My Country" and years later, discovered the theme in the trio of Jupiter.
I've long forgotten the words but wondered who, if not Holst, was
responsible for this or, indeed, whether the tune is a Holst original or
collected perhaps from a shepherd in Devon.

Richard Pennycuick
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