Mimi Ezust wrote:
>Would someone tell me about this work, please. How long is it? What are
>some good recordings? Is it scored for full orchestra? What does it sound
>like? If it is on a cd with other pieces, what are they?
It's one of Holst's more impressionistic (for want of a better term
because it has real tunes in it, clearly stated) works. It's based on
the first chapter (I think) of Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native--the
descrption of the fictional Egdon Heath (actually a sort of composite, as
I understand it) of several heaths (or moors, I think they're also called)
in Dorset. It has a real mysterious, misty, maybe even gloomy feeling to
it, and accurately, to my memory, describes the eerie feeling of these
places. It's a beautiful work, haunting in its way. To liken it to any
of the Planets is difficult. The best I could do is to combine Venus and
Neptune, with the accent on Neptune, and that's pushing it.
It's about 13-14 minutes, for full orchestra. I like the Previn and
Boult performances. Previn's is with Boult's first EMI stereo planets
and Holst's Perfect Fool. I know Boult's from a London LP (stunning sound,
as good as Previn's, also originally an LP): I don't know if it's on CD.
Hickox and Sargent have recordings, each accompanied by other lesser knonn
Holst works. I've not heard either and could not choose between the
coupled works: I'd want them all. Andrew Davis has one on Teldec with
Planets, but I think he misses a bit of the gloomy mystery of the piece,
and his Planets, while good, is not great.
Roger Hecht
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