New Music Albums: HOLST - THE PLANETS; BAX: TINTAGEL (Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra & Tenebrae)

Artist:
Antonio Pappano
London Symphony Orchestra
Tenebrae

Genre:
Classical

Total Time:
69:26

Record Label:
LSO

Purchase Album:
CD, Amazon Music,
Apple Music, Spotify

Release Date
March 20, 2026

Find out more about this album release after the jump.

Purchasing Links

Buy the CD from Amazon

Buy the MP3 from Amazon

Buy the Album from Apple Music

Listen on Spotify

Product Description: For Sir Antonio Pappano, there can be nothing routine about performing and recording Holst’s large-scale orchestral suite. “Conducting The Planets, especially with an orchestra like the LSO, is like riding a powerful current,” he tells Apple Music Classical. “You feel both the exhilaration and the responsibility of steering something immense and deeply expressive.” The London Symphony Orchestra would appear an obvious choice of ensemble for The Planets—after all, it was the LSO that gave the first complete public performance of Holst’s work in 1920. Yet, under Pappano’s direction, the LSO gives a fresh interpretation in which every detail has been carefully reconsidered: the articulation at the start of “Mars” may surprise some listeners, but it is exactly what is written in the score. The colors of Holst’s masterful scoring shine bright thanks to Pappano’s close attention to instrumental balance and the LSO’s evident responsiveness. Likewise, Holst’s daring harmonies, whether the grating dissonances of “Mars” or the unearthly suggestion of space in “Neptune,” seem newly revealed. In the midst of all this is the earthy and comforting humanity of “Jupiter.” “In many ways, ‘Jupiter’ is the emotional pinnacle of the entire work,” says Pappano; “After the shadow and menace of ‘Mars’ and the playfulness of ‘Venus’ and ‘Mercury,’ ‘Jupiter’ feels like a great opening of the skies. Holst calls it the ‘Bringer of Jollity,’ and it’s the moment where the suite breathes, smiles, and suddenly speaks to us in very human terms.” That movement, Pappano insists, is as good as any in revealing Holst’s multi-layered, subtle, and astonishing craftsmanship. “Holst takes great care over the outer sections,” he explains, “with those leaping figures passed around the orchestra. Yes, there is brilliance and swagger, but listen carefully to how Holst pivots from dancing rhythms to that extraordinary central melody—broad, dignified, and profoundly moving. The brass writing is magnificent, of course, but it’s the dialogue between sections that really sparks for me: strings urging things forward, woodwinds flickering with wit, percussion adding lift rather than weight.” Pappano and the LSO’s ability to bring the colors of a masterful orchestrator to full vibrancy is to the fore again in Arnold Bax’s Tintagel. Their performance opens with a panoramic sense of the vivid blues of the Cornish seascape so meticulously evoked by Bax’s score. This is then superbly contrasted with the brooding menace and fury of the storm episode, where Bax’s detailed instrumentation really glitters in their magnificent recording.

TRACK LIST:

1 . The Planets, Op. 32: I. Mars, the Bringer of War Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (07:47)

2 . The Planets, Op. 32: II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (08:55)

3 . The Planets, Op. 32: III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (04:00)

4 . The Planets, Op. 32: IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (08:13)

5 . The Planets, Op. 32: V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (10:30)

6 . The Planets, Op. 32: VI. Uranus, the Magician Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (06:03)

7 . The Planets, Op. 32: VII. Neptune, the Mystic (07:37)

8 .Tintagel, GP 213 . Antonio Pappano & London Symphony Orchestra (16:25)

OTHER ALBUM RELEASES:

Saturday, July 4, 2026

New Music Albums: HOLST - THE PLANETS; BAX: TINTAGEL (Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra & Tenebrae)

Purchasing Links

TRACK LIST:

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