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Nothing has influenced today's Hollywood film soundtrack style as much as Gustav Holst's
The Planets
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Written during the First World War, The Planets, by Gustav Holst, is today, the most performed work by an English composer (including Handel's Messiah).
The work has also greatly influenced today's film composers especially those working in the blockbuster Hollywood action adventure vein. Unusual instrumentation and original orchestral textures mark the piece as one of the most significant works of the 20th century.
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The Planets Suite has been called the English "Rite of Spring". Indeed the many odd time signatures and the unabashed use of dissonance links it to the great work by Stravinsky. Though Holst (1874-1934) and Elgar were contemporaries, Holst is much more modern employing musical textures unknown in the Romantic Era.
The order of the movements in The Planets suite does not follow the planetary alignment from the sun, rather, Holst was influenced by astrological writings including books about horoscope. There is no movement for the planet Earth and this again, is because of the astrological rather than astronomical approach.
Mars, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Mars, the Bringer of War" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). By far the most well-known of the movements, Mars is the gold standard for a style of writing that Hollywood composers like John Williams would embellish for myriad action adventure films. Listen to this track and you'll hear the genesis of the Star Wars soundtrack. Mars was also used for the 1980 TV series entitled Cosmos by Carl Sagan. (7:06)
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Venus, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Venus, the Bringer of Peace" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). (8:51)
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Mercury, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Mercury, the Winged Messenger" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). (3:56)
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| English Masters, Vol. 3 - from the Repertoire Series contains 7 tracks of exuberant royalty free music. |
| Please listen to the rest of English Masters, Vol. 3. Short keywords and descriptions are provided to give you a sense of each cue. |
Jupiter, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). Another very famous movement from The Planets. The slow middle section of this work (the lush, lyrical melody) was set by Holst to the poem "I vow to thee, my country" in 1921. This was essentially a remembrance of the tragedy of World War One, which had ended just 3 years earlier. It has gone on to become one of England's most patriotic anthems. (8:08)
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Saturn, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). Saturn was Holst's favorite movement from The Planets. (9:36)
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Uranus, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Uranus, the Magician" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). (6:04)
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Neptune, from The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
"Neptune, the Mystic" from The Planets Op. 32 by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934). This movement contains very novel instrument combinations as well as some very other-worldly textures. Listen for the eerie women's chorus that wordlessly sings off-stage creating an original and celestial effect. (7:00)
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Performed by the UniqueTracks Radio Orchestra
For our recording sessions we asked leading musicians from the large well-known national orchestras of Eastern Europe (Romania, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia) to form a new, unique symphony orchestra for the purpose of recording the greatest music of the classical repertoire. Hence, The UniqueTracks Radio Orchestra was born.
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