BSO: The Planets

The Planets remains by far Holst’s most popular work; one of the 20th century’s great colouristic showpieces. Its conception has a boldness, excitement and epic sweep that remain immediately impressive after a hundred hearings. Vaughan Williams once said that the work was “the perfect equilibrium” of Holst’s nature – the melodic, precise and structured, combined with the mystic and unexplainable. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3 came straight from the heart of its creator and was a showcase for his own amazing pianistic talents. Revolutionary in its scale, drama and intensity, it is a masterful partnership between soloist and orchestra, opening with an unprecedented sense of power, purpose and potential. Vaughan Williams’ symphonic impression is a beautifully written masterpiece. Like the fenland landscape, the music doesn’t impose itself, evoking the wide-open skies over the flat countryside, dark clouds pierced by shafts of sunlight.

We’ve almost sold all our tickets for this concert but if you don’t want to miss the The Planets, why not join us either on 3 October at Bristol Beacon or 4 October at Portsmouth Guildhall for the same performance?