I wanted to like this piece, I really did, especially because Kent Nagano is my favorite conductor and he comissioned this piece, but I find that the louder parts are more of a cacophony than anything else. The soft parts are beautiful though, and tie in well with the Holst suite, but the rest... seriously? Someone listened to too much early Pink Floyd.
I have to say I do consider this worthy of being included in the full planets suite, obviously ignoring the fact it wasn't written by Holst and that Pluto isn't technically a planet anymore, it just fits in with the others and is an impressive tribute to the style and majesty of Holst's suite, it has a personality of mystery and a character that none of the other planets have. The ending is a bit of a disappointment though but perhaps it wasn't intended to be the last piece in the revised suite.
"The Planets" did not originally include Pluto, and Holst did not write a movement for it when it was discovered in 1930. So although science (at the time) said that there was another planet, "The Planets" is a purely musical work, not bound by the laws of nature. This is an excellent piece, however.
I don't get it... I really liked it! It sounds even more mystic and far away than Holst neptun and bit less pompous than the other planets. Doesn't sound like Holst, yes, but not a bad pluto, I think.
interesting from a socio-cultural & historical point of view... not so much from a musical point of view.
nevertheless, if the piece was composed, i guess it has the right to be performed from time to time. i wonder if it´s meant to be performed individually, or following Gustav Holst´s suite.
i don´t really see how this can improve the suite.
and concerning an individual performance... well, no comment.
as i said, interesting, but not from the musical point of view
I think Colin Matthews was truly thrown into the deep end being commissioned to compose this piece. I think it's an excellent work, but for ANYONE to "finish off" the Suite after Neptune would be an impossible task, even for Holst himself. I reckon that if Pluto had been discovered before Holst's time and he was to have composed the movement alongside the others it would affected his own musical structuring and approach to the entire Suite - that ending in Neptune might not have ever existed!
@sunimkoria The irony is, Pluto was discovered (1930) before Holst's death in 1934. However, he didn't want to write another movement, becuase he didn't like the fact that the Planets Suite was getting so much attention, and he felt it was perhaps detracting from his other works. I do agree that if Pluto existed in 1914-1916 it would have been interesting to see what he did. It would have been a shame if the ending of Neptune (as we know it) never existed!!
@ghman98 Not completly, i knew he was still alive when pluto was discovered. and after whatching a BBC program I already knew he didn't like the amount of attention the Suite got. I referanced Wiki for the exact dates.
Perhaps this is the kind of piece Holst would have written if he had been born in the 1960s. It has the trappings of his style but not the harmonic idiom. It deserves performances, but putting it at the end of Holst's Suite would ruin it. "Neptune" is a perfect ending, and this does not improve on the original in that respect.
I like Colin Matthews' music very much. And this is a decent piece that works well on it's own in concert. But it is just too different from Holst's masterpiece. The end of "The Planets" is just too good to tack on another movement afterwards. I'm sure Matthews knew that thinking that at least it might have merit as a composition by itself. Sure enough, it's been performed over 100 times and has been recorded at least 4 times. So there it is.
It would be interesting to hear this without prior knowledge and see if it would "fit" the rest of the suite . .. . . I'm not sure it would, but that is just me
@Lupehkun What are you talking about, "Not reminded of Holst"? The motif first used by the oboes at 0:42 - 0:51 is used countless times throughout the movement, just like the opening four notes of Uranus are used in the same manner, and right after that, the horns take up the same repeating patterns from Mercury. The quick ascending scales from Mercury are also heard from 1:47 - 1:50 (to be continued).
@Lupehkun (continued) The ending of Neptune can be heard from 1:36 - 1:46, and the ladies' choirs and the celesta are used prominently in the work, as they are in Neptune as well. 2:38 - 3:08 and 4:31 - 5:02 are reminiscent of Mars and Uranus, and the scales Holst gives to the strings in Mars, can be heard in here, although scattered about at random.
I think it's really good scoring and orchestrating, but it sounds way too modern and clashes against the original work. Holst had more melodic lines and tonal chordal progressions, even at its most dark.
This actually kind of sounds like a John Williams work, very Empire Strikes Back in some parts. It's a very well composed work, just doesn't fit the original score. Not really composed in the style of Holst.
@JRFuerstFullSail Actually, John Williams took much of his inspiration from The Planets whent it came to writing the Star Wars soundtrack (compare the pattern in the kettledrums at the end of the Star Wars theme to the main pattern in Mars), and NO, I DID NOT GO TO WIKI-F******-PEDIA FOR THIS BIT OF INTEL!!
I don't think people look down upon it as something being not as good as the rest, but as something that Holst wouldn't write. Thus, people don't like this exactly because Holst wouldn't have written this exact piece. It's too Matthews and not Holst at all.
Besides, I personally think that the ending of The Planets as it is, with the choir fading out, is one of the greatest endings of all time.
I wanted to like this piece, I really did, especially because Kent Nagano is my favorite conductor and he comissioned this piece, but I find that the louder parts are more of a cacophony than anything else. The soft parts are beautiful though, and tie in well with the Holst suite, but the rest... seriously? Someone listened to too much early Pink Floyd.
Teeahtiimeh 3 weeks ago
4:02 ... Seriously?!
meikmeelafable 1 month ago
The first image is just a recolored Ganymede. FAIL.
DevilMaster 1 month ago
I have to say I do consider this worthy of being included in the full planets suite, obviously ignoring the fact it wasn't written by Holst and that Pluto isn't technically a planet anymore, it just fits in with the others and is an impressive tribute to the style and majesty of Holst's suite, it has a personality of mystery and a character that none of the other planets have. The ending is a bit of a disappointment though but perhaps it wasn't intended to be the last piece in the revised suite.
Synoiz 2 months ago
"The Planets" did not originally include Pluto, and Holst did not write a movement for it when it was discovered in 1930. So although science (at the time) said that there was another planet, "The Planets" is a purely musical work, not bound by the laws of nature. This is an excellent piece, however.
ilikecheese1237 2 months ago
This one should be before neptune if played in the planets suite. fuckign badass
bobdoles123 4 months ago
I don't get it... I really liked it! It sounds even more mystic and far away than Holst neptun and bit less pompous than the other planets. Doesn't sound like Holst, yes, but not a bad pluto, I think.
ledstones 6 months ago
2:39 + 4:30 = Loud
pogsnjulius 8 months ago
If you ask me, I didn't feel very renewed after watching this...
microbemanjacob 8 months ago
The Pluto for Planethood sign was really funny!
microbemanjacob 8 months ago
interesting from a socio-cultural & historical point of view... not so much from a musical point of view.
nevertheless, if the piece was composed, i guess it has the right to be performed from time to time. i wonder if it´s meant to be performed individually, or following Gustav Holst´s suite.
i don´t really see how this can improve the suite.
and concerning an individual performance... well, no comment.
as i said, interesting, but not from the musical point of view
harpiyon 8 months ago
All my respect to the orchestra, but as far the composition is concerned what a royal piece of crap this is compared to Holst's suite!
tinsh0es 9 months ago
I think Colin Matthews was truly thrown into the deep end being commissioned to compose this piece. I think it's an excellent work, but for ANYONE to "finish off" the Suite after Neptune would be an impossible task, even for Holst himself. I reckon that if Pluto had been discovered before Holst's time and he was to have composed the movement alongside the others it would affected his own musical structuring and approach to the entire Suite - that ending in Neptune might not have ever existed!
sunimkoria 11 months ago
@sunimkoria The irony is, Pluto was discovered (1930) before Holst's death in 1934. However, he didn't want to write another movement, becuase he didn't like the fact that the Planets Suite was getting so much attention, and he felt it was perhaps detracting from his other works. I do agree that if Pluto existed in 1914-1916 it would have been interesting to see what he did. It would have been a shame if the ending of Neptune (as we know it) never existed!!
otm831 10 months ago
@otm831 You got this directly from Wikipedia, didn't you?
ghman98 10 months ago
@ghman98 Not completly, i knew he was still alive when pluto was discovered. and after whatching a BBC program I already knew he didn't like the amount of attention the Suite got. I referanced Wiki for the exact dates.
otm831 10 months ago
Perhaps this is the kind of piece Holst would have written if he had been born in the 1960s. It has the trappings of his style but not the harmonic idiom. It deserves performances, but putting it at the end of Holst's Suite would ruin it. "Neptune" is a perfect ending, and this does not improve on the original in that respect.
Typhon85808 1 year ago 3
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I like Colin Matthews' music very much. And this is a decent piece that works well on it's own in concert. But it is just too different from Holst's masterpiece. The end of "The Planets" is just too good to tack on another movement afterwards. I'm sure Matthews knew that thinking that at least it might have merit as a composition by itself. Sure enough, it's been performed over 100 times and has been recorded at least 4 times. So there it is.
MrCC379 1 year ago
Comment removed
MrCC379 1 year ago
It would be interesting to hear this without prior knowledge and see if it would "fit" the rest of the suite . .. . . I'm not sure it would, but that is just me
RTCMAHL 1 year ago
Sort of a modern interpretation of Holst. Not bad, but shouldn't be played with Planets.
2natw 1 year ago
scary
razberryboy 1 year ago
pluto the foreseener
asder739 1 year ago
This is a fine addition to the suite. Kudos. Pity about the reclassification.
fiandrhi 1 year ago
somewhat discordant!
SammiCat15 1 year ago
@SammiCat15 Yes, indeed. But Colin Matthews belongs to the 21st-century, whereas Holst belongs to the 20th.
jslasher1 1 year ago
I'm not reminded of Holst at all. It doesn't leave a lasting impression, and the imagery and feel of the planet is.. ehh.
Lupehkun 1 year ago
@Lupehkun What are you talking about, "Not reminded of Holst"? The motif first used by the oboes at 0:42 - 0:51 is used countless times throughout the movement, just like the opening four notes of Uranus are used in the same manner, and right after that, the horns take up the same repeating patterns from Mercury. The quick ascending scales from Mercury are also heard from 1:47 - 1:50 (to be continued).
JupiterIV 1 year ago
@Lupehkun (continued) The ending of Neptune can be heard from 1:36 - 1:46, and the ladies' choirs and the celesta are used prominently in the work, as they are in Neptune as well. 2:38 - 3:08 and 4:31 - 5:02 are reminiscent of Mars and Uranus, and the scales Holst gives to the strings in Mars, can be heard in here, although scattered about at random.
JupiterIV 1 year ago
I think it's really good scoring and orchestrating, but it sounds way too modern and clashes against the original work. Holst had more melodic lines and tonal chordal progressions, even at its most dark.
This actually kind of sounds like a John Williams work, very Empire Strikes Back in some parts. It's a very well composed work, just doesn't fit the original score. Not really composed in the style of Holst.
JRFuerstFullSail 2 years ago 3
I'll correct myself and say it sounds more like a Christopher Rouse work and John Williams.
JRFuerstFullSail 2 years ago
@JRFuerstFullSail Perceptive comment.
jslasher1 1 year ago
Comment removed
JupiterIV 1 year ago
@JRFuerstFullSail Actually, John Williams took much of his inspiration from The Planets whent it came to writing the Star Wars soundtrack (compare the pattern in the kettledrums at the end of the Star Wars theme to the main pattern in Mars), and NO, I DID NOT GO TO WIKI-F******-PEDIA FOR THIS BIT OF INTEL!!
JupiterIV 1 year ago
I have a feeling that If this exact piece was done by Holst, no one would look down upon it as not being as good as the rest.
TheBadreception 2 years ago 15
I think the whole declassification of Pluto as a Planet was just an excuse to not have to play this piece...
revoltz7 2 years ago 18
@revoltz7 Very good, mate. Love your comment.
jslasher1 1 year ago
I don't think people look down upon it as something being not as good as the rest, but as something that Holst wouldn't write. Thus, people don't like this exactly because Holst wouldn't have written this exact piece. It's too Matthews and not Holst at all.
Besides, I personally think that the ending of The Planets as it is, with the choir fading out, is one of the greatest endings of all time.
kongming819 2 years ago
except Holst sounds exactly nothing like this piece. Plus is it memorable like all the other sections of Holst's original? No it isn't.
christomacin 1 year ago
this was preeeeeeeetty good, but it can never be as good as holtz's work.
IwantaBarqsrootbeer 2 years ago