Gustav Holst complained late in life that the fame his orchestral suite The Planets, like some kind of musical kudzu, had grown to define his oeuvre pretty much to the exclusion of everything else that he had composed. I wish I could tell Gustav that the situation has improved since his death in 1934. Alas, the only good news we have for Holst is that The Planets is more beloved than ever, and its enduring popularity has positioned him as one of the rock stars of orchestral music, albeit a one-hit wonder.
With its astrological themes and structure and . . .
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