Holst
The Planets Suite, The Perfect Fool (Ballet Music)

Of the many recordings of Holst’s brilliantly orchestrated showpiece, this provides a particularly devastating combination of players, conductor, acoustic and recording technique. Recorded in the superb, vast acoustic of the Royal Albert Hall in London, every nuance of colour can be appreciated along with a vivid feeling of being in a 3-dimensional space. It is a perfect setting both for the chilling, dramatic temperament of Mars or Saturn, or the unearthly sound of Neptune, the Mystic. Building on his special affinity for English repertoire, William Boughton brings immense energy and brilliant new perspectives to these works in fine performances by the Philharmonia Orchestra.