Neville Marriner’s Planets emphasizes color over drama and thus offers us an opportunity to examine Holst’s amazing score in detail. The prominence of the timpani in Mars highlights the repeated crescendos that add to the feeling of menace. The rest of the orchestra is well balanced–so much so that, contrary to what we usually hear, the Royal Concertgebouw brass fails to cut through the texture with its snarling theme. The percussion too, stays squarely in the mix, to the detriment of the tam-tam part, which should really grab your attention. Jupiter benefits most from this focus on inner detail. The rapid woodwind flourishes create a watery effect, similar to that in Smetana’s Moldau. Marriner’s stiff pacing in Saturn makes the approach of old age sound like a comfortable retirement, and Neptune is taken at such a breathless pace that it doesn’t have time to create that magical sense of wonder. Still, while not as exciting as Dutoit or Karajan on Decca, Marriner’s Planets is very beautifully played (especially Venus) and warmly recorded. The appended Pomp and Circumstance marches are robustly presented, which makes you wish that the other three could have been included. [3/25/2000]
