This is a discography of The Planets, Op. 32, an orchestral suite by Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916, and first performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult on 29 September 1918. It includes the composer's own recordings made in 1922-23 and 1926.

Orchestral version

Year Conductor (Chorus and) Orchestra Label Recording notes
1922 Gustav Holst London Symphony Orchestra Columbia recorded 27 October 1922 (Jupiter only) at Petty France Studios; acoustic recording[1]
1923 Holst London Symphony Orchestra Columbia recorded 23 August (Mercury, Venus), 24 August (Uranus), 30 October (Mars, Saturn), 6 November (Neptune) at Petty France Studios; acoustic recording[1]
1925 Holst London Symphony Orchestra Columbia recorded 19 February (Saturn), 15 September (Jupiter) at Petty France Studios; acoustic recording[1]
1926 Holst Women of the London Symphony Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra Columbia recorded complete on 22 June, 2 July, 14 Sept. and 22 Oct. at Petty France Studios; electrical recording; released in Dec. 1926;[1] re-issued on LP in 1972, on CD from 1991 onwards[2]
1926 Albert Coates Symphony Orchestra HMV only Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus; reissued on CD in 1992 on Koch Historic
1942 Ernest MacMillan Toronto Symphony Orchestra RCA Victor only Mars, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter; released on CD in 2006 by Analekta, on Portrait: Sir Ernest MacMillan
1943 Leopold Stokowski NBC Symphony Orchestra Cala Records from an NBC radio broadcast in Studio 8H, New York City, the earliest American performance on disc
1945 Sir Adrian Boult BBC Symphony Orchestra HMV the first of Boult's five recordings of the work
1954 Boult Members of the London Philharmonic Choir; Philharmonic Promenade Orchestra Nixa orchestra was the London Philharmonic under a pseudonym for contractual reasons
1954 Sir Malcolm Sargent Chorus of Female Voices; London Symphony Orchestra Decca Kingsway Hall; engineer Kenneth Wilkinson
1956 Stokowski Women's Voices of the Roger Wagner Chorale; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Capitol the work's first stereo recording; issued on LP; reissued on CD by EMI
1958 Sargent BBC Women's Chorus; BBC Symphony Orchestra HMV reissued on CD on Classics for Pleasure
1959 Boult Vienna Academy Chorus; Vienna State Opera Orchestra Whitehall 20033
1961 Herbert von Karajan Vienna State Opera Chorus; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Decca remastered and reissued in 2007 in 24-bit, 96-kbps sound
1965 Sargent BBC Symphony Orchestra IMP Royal Festival Hall, London, February 3, 1965; issued on IMP CD in 1995
1966 Boult The Ambrosian Singers; New Philharmonia Orchestra HMV
1970 Bernard Haitink John Alldis Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra Philips
1970 Bernard Herrmann London Philharmonic Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra Decca Phase 4 Stereo
1970 William Steinberg New England Conservatory Chorus; Boston Symphony Orchestra Deutsche Grammophon recorded in Symphony Hall, Boston, in September and October 1970
1971 Leonard Bernstein New York Philharmonic Orchestra Columbia recorded in Philharmonic Hall in early December 1971; released on LP in 1973; reissued on CD in 1985 and 1997; music was subject of Bernstein's final Young People's Concerts broadcast in March 1972
1971 Zubin Mehta Female Voices of the Los Angeles Master Chorale; Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Decca An extra tubist, Tommy Johnson (tubist), was hired during the recording sessions.
1973 André Previn London Symphony Orchestra EMI recorded Sept. 28-29, 1973, in Kingsway Hall, London; engineer Christopher Parker
1974 George Hurst Bournemouth Municipal Choir; Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Contour recorded at Southampton Guildhall; producer Brian Culverhouse, engineer Brian Couzens
1974 Walter Susskind Ronald Arnatt Chorale and Missouri Singers; Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Turnabout and VOX recorded in Powell Hall in Sept. 1974; issued in 1975; reissued in 2004 by MFSL as a hybrid multichannel SACD
1975 James Loughran Hallé Orchestra CfP/EMI won a Gold Disc; in Dec. 2009 came 8th in BBC's Top 30 Most Played classical recordings over three-quarters of a century
1975 Eugene Ormandy Philadelphia Orchestra RCA Red Seal reissued in 1993
1978 Boult Geoffrey Mitchell Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra EMI recorded 60 years after the same conductor led the work's premiere; on May 12 and 30, June 4 and July 31, 1978, in Kingsway Hall and at Abbey Road; released for Boult's 90th birthday
1978 Neville Marriner Ambrosian Singers; Concertgebouw Orchestra Philips
1978 Sir Georg Solti Ladies of the London Philharmonic Choir; London Philharmonic Orchestra Decca Kingsway Hall, Feb. 1978
1979 Sir Alexander Gibson Scottish National Orchestra Chandos recorded in Henry Wood Hall, Glasgow, 2–3 July 1979
1979 Seiji Ozawa New England Conservatory Chorus; Boston Symphony Orchestra Philips recorded in Dec. 1979; reissued in 1992, 2005 and 2010
1980 Lorin Maazel Maîtrise de Radio France; Orchestre National de France CBS Masterworks Children's choir used in "Neptune". Digital recording; released in 1981
1980 Simon Rattle Ambrosian Singers; Philharmonia Orchestra EMI digital recording; Kingsway Hall, London, 29-30 Dec. 1980
1981 Karajan Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Deutsche Grammophon recorded in the Philharmonie, Berlin, in Jan. 1981; digital recording
1986 Andrew Davis Toronto Symphony Orchestra HMV recorded in The Centre in The Square, Kitchener, Ontario, on 20 Jan. 1986. Children's choir used in "Neptune".
1986 Previn Women of the Brighton Festival Chorus; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Telarc Digital Watford Town Hall, London, 14–15 April 1986
1986 John Williams Women of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus; Boston Pops Orchestra Philips Boston Symphony Hall
1986 Charles Dutoit Montreal Symphony Orchestra Decca / Penguin Classics recorded by Decca; reissued in 1998 by Penguin Classics; used for a multi-disciplinary (skating, ballet/dance, music) version;[3] awarded the 1987 Gramophone Award for Engineering [1]
1987 Eduardo Mata Dallas Symphony Orchestra Proarte
1987 Sir Charles Groves Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Sanctuary Classics recorded in July 1987 in Watford Town Hall
1987 Richard Hickox London Symphony Orchestra IMP Classics recorded in Abbey Road Studio 1 on 8–9 July 1987
1987 Geoffrey Simon London Symphony Orchestra Delta Entertainment recorded at All Saints, Tooting; reissued in 1998
1988 William Boughton Philharmonia Orchestra Nimbus recorded in the Royal Albert Hall, London, 11-12 Jan. 1988
1988 Adrian Leaper Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Naxos recorded 26-30 Nov. 1988 in Bratislava; released in 1989, including Holst's Suite de Ballet, Op. 10
1988 Sir Charles Mackerras Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Virgin Classics recorded in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, in June 1988; released on CD 1989
1989 James Levine Chicago Symphony Orchestra Deutsche Grammophon released in 1991
1989 Hilary Davan Wetton London Philharmonic Orchestra Collins Classics
1989 Sir Colin Davis Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Philips
1990 Mehta New York Philharmonic Orchestra Teldec
1991 James Judd Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Denon recorded in Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London, on 1-2 Dec. 1991; released on CD 1992. Boys' choir used in "Neptune".
1992 Ross Pople London Festival Orchestra ASV
1992 Yevgeny Svetlanov Philharmonia Orchestra Collins Classics reissued 1995 by Edgestone Classics (EC029); Svetlanov website indicates another recording by him with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra
1993 Mike Batt Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Ladies from the John McCarthy Chorus Guild recorded at Watford Town Hall, 25 August 1993; released in 2018
1993 Vernon Handley Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Tring recorded Oct. 1993; released 1994
1993 A. Davis BBC Symphony Chorus; BBC Symphony Orchestra Teldec recorded at St Augustine's Church, London, in Dec. 1993
1994 José Serebrier Melbourne Symphony Orchestra ASV
1994 John Eliot Gardiner Philharmonia Orchestra Deutsche Grammophon released in 1995
1995 Adrian Leaper Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria Arte Nova Classics live recording 25 January 1995 in the Teatro Pérez Galdós, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
1996 Leonard Slatkin Philharmonia Orchestra BMG Classics released in 1997 on CD
1996 Yan Pascal Tortelier BBC Philharmonic BBC Music Magazine recorded July 13, 1996, in Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
1997 Roy Goodman New Queens Hall Orchestra Carlton Classics Historically informed performance
1997 Yoel Levi Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Telarc Digital recorded at Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, April 3–4, 1997
1998 Andrew Litton Dallas Symphony Orchestra Delos
1998 Djong Victorin Yu Philharmonia Orchestra Exton / Octavia Records Inc.
2001 David Lloyd-Jones Royal Scottish National Orchestra Naxos recorded February 17–18, 2001, in Glasgow; released in 2002 on CD; issued also on DVD in 5.1 surround sound (Dolby+DTS); includes Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews as well as Holst's The Mystic Trumpeter
2001 Mark Elder Hallé Orchestra Hyperion recorded in Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, on 27–28 March 2001; includes Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews (commissioned by the Hallé Concerts Society and first performed by the Hallé under Kent Nagano in 2000); also includes the original and modified-ending versions of Neptune
2002 Dennis Russell Davies Bruckner Orchester Linz Chesky Records recorded October 2–4, 2001, in the Brucknerhaus, Linz, Austria; released on SACD in 2002 and later as a digital download on Chesky's HDtracks site
2002 Sir Roger Norrington Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra Hänssler live recording made in the Liederhalle, Stuttgart, 27–29 June 2001
2002 Paul Freeman Czech National Symphony Orchestra CNSO recorded in the Rudolfinum, Prague, 2002; includes Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews[4]
2003 Handley Royal Philharmonic Orchestra RPO released in 2004
2003 C. Davis London Symphony Orchestra LSO Live live recording for the orchestra's own label in 2003
2004 Owain Arwel Hughes Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Warner Classics recorded 26–27 April 2004 at Watford Colosseum; released on CD 2005; includes Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews
2005 Yutaka Sado NHK Symphony Orchestra Avex
2005 Rico Saccani Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra BPO Live
2006 Rattle Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra EMI includes Pluto, the Renewer by Colin Matthews
2009 Paavo Järvi Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Telarc
2009 Vladimir Jurowski London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO recorded live in the Royal Festival Hall on 22 May 2009; released on CD in 2010
2011 A. Davis BBC Philharmonic Chandos
2012 Previn London Symphony Orchestra Cobra Entertainment LLC
2014 David Robertson Sydney Philharmonia Chorus; Sydney Symphony Orchestra Sydney Symphony Orchestra
2015 Michael Francis NYO Canada NYO Canada recorded 1-3 Aug. 2015 in the McGill Multimedia Room, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal[5]
2016 Edward Gardner National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain Chandos recorded 8-9 Aug. 2016 in Symphony Hall, Birmingham; released on CD in Feb. 2017[6]
Skidmore College Orchestra Musopen Jupiter (8:28):

Mars (8:18):

Concert Band version

Year Conductor Orchestra Label Recording notes
1989 Eric Banks London Symphonic Wind Orchestra EMI Music Japan Recorded at Abbey Road Studios on 11–12 April 1989.
Wind orchestra version of the complete seven-movement suite transcribed by Cy Payne.
1994 Frederick Fennell Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra King Records, Japan Recorded at Iruma Shimin Kaikan Hall (Saitama, Japan) on 3-4 Nov. 1994. Released in 1995.
Concert band version by Takuzo Inagaki.
1994 Daniel Sieber « Belalp » Jubilee Wind Orchestra Tonstudio AMOS Recorded at Zentrum Missione, Naters on 26-27 Nov. 1994.
Concert band version by Pierre-Alain Bidaud, Jean-Pierre Hartmann and Daniel Sieber.
1996 James Watson Black Dyke Mills Band Doyen Brass band version by Stephen Roberts.
1998 Eddie Green University of Houston Wind Ensemble Mark Custom Concert band version by Merlin Patterson.
1998 United States Air Force Heritage of America Band Mars (7:58): Venus (8:21): Mercury (4:23): Jupiter (8:00): Uranus (5:19):
2003 Commander Yoshiiku Aoki Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Band, Tokyo Universal Music Japan Live recording at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall on 3 February 2003.
Concert band version by Tatsuya Konishi.
2005 Ton van de Kieft Noordenwind Molenaar Edition Live recording at Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam on 1 July 2005.
Concert band version by Geert Schrijvers.

Two-piano transcription

Year Artists Label Recording notes
1984 Richard Markham, David Nettle Psyche Two-piano transcription.
1998 Len Vorster, Robert Chamberlain Naxos Two-piano transcription.
2000 Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow Olympia Two-piano transcription.
2001 John York, Fiona York Black Box One piano, four hands transcription. Reissued 2011 on Nimbus Records.
2004 Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Susan Bradshaw Delos Two-piano transcription.

Other versions

Year Conductor Orchestra Label Recording notes
1976 Isao Tomita RCA Released in 1976/1991. Free arrangement and abridgement for electronic synthesiser.
1985 Kevin Peek with Rick Wakeman and Jeff Wayne Progressive rock version called Beyond the Planets.
1996 Peter Sykes Raven Version for organ.
2009 Hugh Banton Fie Organ transcription.
2010 Buzz Ensemble Fidelio Version for brass and organ.
2010 Stefan Moser H and M Version for organ.
2020 Jeremy Levy Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra OA2 Records Big Band version called The Planets: Reimagined.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Stuart, Philip. The LSO Discography. 2009. Available at CHARM website, accessed 28 March 2013.
  2. ^ All the music from The Planets conducted by the composer, including alternate takes and original couplings, was issued together for the first time in 2014: Sanders, A. Review of Explore Multimedia ExM008. Classical Recordings Quarterly. Autumn 2014, No 78, p59-60.
  3. ^ The Planets (Multi-disciplinary) version only reference was found here: at Amazon
  4. ^ Available at CNSO website, accessed 4 July 2018.
  5. ^ Available at NYO Canada website, accessed 8 August 2018.
  6. ^ Available at Chandos website, accessed 9 June 2017.
Categories