One Enchanted Evening


I'm a pretty big fan of classical music, thanks in part to my father who was also a fan.  And one of my all-time favorite symphonies is "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. 

Much of the seven-movement "Planets" would be familiar to the ear of even the casual classical listener, in particular "Mars - The Bringer of War" "Venus - The Bringer of Peace" and "Jupiter - The Bringer of Jollity".

"Mars" written in 1914, perfectly captured the incoming storm-clouds of world war, with it's relentlessly dark driving rhythm.  It's arguably the most recognizable of the seven movements.  The last movement "Neptune - The Mystic" is the only one that includes the human voice.  On the night of its premiere, the women's choir performing it was kept off-stage, so that the effect was that their haunting, ethereal notes drifted down through the hall in a disembodied manner that suggested the vast eternity of space.  I had the privilege of attending a performance of The Planets at the TSO in 2012, where the choir was handled in a similar manner and the effect was absolutely magical. 

Various movements of Holst's symphony had been debuted to the audiences in the previous two years, but it was on November 15, 1920, that all seven were presented to the public for the first time.  The venue was the Queen's Hall in London (a structure that was lost to the Blitz in the Second World War). 

If I had the capability of time travel, how I would have loved to sit in that audience for that performance.  Alas, since that's currently not possible, my next best option is to pay homage to that night with this painting "The Planets Debuts at Queen's Hall". 



Historical reference photos plus links to various movements of "The Planets" provided below.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4wuV14QlNM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmk5frp6-3Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu77Vtja30c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE6_PacCnRw


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