The Planets

[TomR]

I don't know if this has been suggested before, but I am sure that it would come up in any discussion of Tape Project classical releases. The Planets (Gustav Holst, an Englishman if you didn't know) has long been an audiophile favorite, and there are lots of potentially interesting analog recordings out there - the Mehta on Decca has long been a darling of the audiophile community (Mehta is by a long shot not my favorite conductor. I own this on a 7.5 ips tape but can't recall ever playing it), the Stokowski on Capitol and any number of recordings conducted by Boult on EMI. Steinberg on DG would be a contender in my book as well.

Anyway.....The Planets would probably work great on tape, although it wouldn't be my first choice for a big orchestral piece (have I mentioned Mahler's 1st symphony before?). I bring it up mostly because I am going to hear it live for the first time Feb. 11 (at Flint Center in Cupertino) with the SF Symphony conducted by Dutoit (a great conductor, a shame that much of his work on record is disfigured by digital sound). In all of these years of concert going, I can't believe I have never heard this work live. It is coupled with the Walton violin concerto, a really interesting piece of programming.

[ironbut]

I think I saw "The Planets" about a gazillion years ago, but I couldn't say for sure.
After next week, I'll know.
See you there!

[Teeg]

  Odd that this came up...just this morning Jeff Spurgeon (WQXR NYC) played a short clip of "Mars" and compared it to the war score from the movie Avatar, and noted the parallels. This was followed by a full session of Jupiter; I did not hear the label from which it was sourced. Made for an enjoyable drive.

Tj

[TomR]

Steve - see you there on Thursday?  Cool!


Tom

[astrotoy]

I may have mentioned the Mehta Planets a year or more ago. It certainly is a sonic blockbuster - I have the original Decca pressing as well as a Speakers Corner reissue and even the dolby B London 4 track. Mehta is not a cerebral conductor - but this music fits well his conducting abilities. It would be a fine choice for the TP. Not sure where the TP is with their Decca contacts - Dan or Paul mentioned at one point all of the different mergers that have taken place, that it isn't easy finding the right person to get the appropriate permissions and secure the master tape. Even Speakers Corner which is about the best reissue house for classical music - they are doing (or did) a superb job with their Mercury releases - had much more problematic work for their many Decca rereleases. I think my friend Richard Foster mentioned their difficulty getting the master tapes from Decca, even though they are based in Europe.   Larry

[TomR]

I thought someone might have brought up The Planets before, but I was too lazy to check. I love your comment about Mehta not being the most cerebral conductor. Nice way to put that! I heard him a number of times when I lived in LA in the 70's and couldn't understand the adulation he received. He played the big moments well, but there was a glossing over of details and inability to deal with the seams in music that resulted in a lack of continuity in his interpretations, IMO.  Then Giulini succeeded him at the helm of the LA Phil, and Angelinos got to hear what a real conductor could do. I was there only for a season, but it was brilliant.

[TomR]

This is a recording of great depth and impact. It sounds excellent on my 7.5 ips tape - I can only imagine what it would sound like as a Tape Project release. The LAPO plays well and while Mehta misses a few opportunities (the opening them in Venus sounds like a series of notes played without inflection, not a phrase) overall it seems to hang together as a performance.

[TomR]

My tape of The Planets is severely affected by sticky shed......it is a London, not an Ampex, too. I was afraid of this - many of my early 70's commercial tapes have been affected by this. I got most of the way through Venus (the second movement) before it raised its ugly head.