Holst: Savitri; The Planets; The Perfect Fool Ballet Suite in Bloomington, MN

With this 2024 release of expertly remastered historical recordings, the
Somm
label moves on the territory usually occupied by the British specialist label
Lyrita
. For lovers of
Gustav Holst
's music, it is a bonanza. The recordings were made, many of them for the radio, between 1945 and 1965.
The Planets
is here, in a somewhat syrupy but undeniably effective 1946 performance with the
Boston Symphony
under conductor
Malcolm Sargent
, in which the women's chorus was prepared by none other than
Arthur Fiedler
. However, the rest of the music is less familiar. The chamber opera
S¿vitri
, based on an episode from the Indian Mahabharata epic, is a fascinating document of
Holst
's flirtation with Hinduism, as are the
Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (Third Group)
.
has not often been recorded (the last recording was apparently made in 2000), and this version, from the Aldeburgh Festival in 1956, features tenor
Peter Pears
as
's woodsman husband. The score reveals the influence of
Wagner
that lies behind many of
's compositions, but it is naturally Eastern in flavor as well. There are also some medieval songs, other orchestral and choral pieces, and a suite from
's opera
The Perfect Fool
. Common to all the various performances is a sense of the enthusiasm that age had for
, and that enthusiasm serves this music well. Anyone hesitating because of the age of the recordings shouldn't worry; they are obviously old but quite clear. ~ James Manheim