Gustav Holst

Tis the season for choir concerts. Lessons and carols are being dusted off as the first Sunday of Advent is here. The ubiquitous Messiah is making its rounds and the symphony is, more than likely, rehearsing Leroy Anderson’s arrangement of Sleigh Ride. Well — they do have a concert of The Planets by Gustav Holst before jumping on the Xmas troika.

The concerts in the first weekend of December are a veritable fount of eggnog. Let’s hold off on drinking the nog for just a moment and take a look at The Planets.

According to the official Gustav Holst website, The Planets is based upon a book entitled The Art of Synthesis by Alan Leo. The music of The Planets is an astrological rendering based upon Leo’s work.

Alan Leo was the father of astrology in the English speaking world. It was his publication of several manuals on the topic that brought astrology into what we might call the “mainstream.” Several of his books are still available on Google Books. The Art of Synthesis is not.

Holst was not interested in the fame that The Planets brought to his person. As mentioned in the article on the Holst site, when asked for an autograph he would deliver a typed pieced of paper which stated that he did not give out autographs.

Perhaps Holst was after something more than fame, something finer than fame. His oeuvre is chock full of songs with Vedic texts, operas based on the Mahabharata, and tone poems portraying members of the Hindu Pantheon. Fame is not high on the list of mystic virtues.

Even though Holst wasn’t a fan of its popularity, the fact remains that The Planets is a monumental piece of music. I have complete faith that the San Diego Symphony will do it honor.

The Planets will be performed at Symphony Hall on Saturday, December 3, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, December 4, at 2 p.m.

Let us always remember the glory of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy.