When Gustav Holst died
in 1934, the planet Pluto had not yet
been discovered, making his suite of
tone poems unknowingly incomplete. Composer
Colin Matthews has set about to rectify
the situation by adding a further movement,
and it seems to work to great effect.
Reminiscent of Godfrey
Reggio’s films with music by Phillip
Glass, this photo-montage with orchestral
accompaniment is a fresh and vital means
of presenting very familiar music. It
is, I believe, an ideal way to advocate
such masterpieces to a new and perhaps
not so educated audience. The photography
is brilliant. At times it is disturbing,
especially during the opening Mars
, the bringer of war sequence in
which the image of tanks, tearful peasants,
wailing old women and dead bodies makes
for a rather shaking image. The political
intent here is quite evident, showing
war as evil, frightening and deadly,
in opposition to the macho, kick-ass
image that certain world leaders would
like us to have these days.
The most stunning images
are in the Venus, the bringer of
peace. Filmed in the arctic, and
in Ireland among other scenic spots,
the glory of nature is portrayed with
breathtaking abandon, and this eight-ish
minute segment is worth the entire price
of admission and bears repeated viewing.
Other techniques include
some rather eye-catching animation along
with a bit of very clever stop-action
and slow-motion photography.
As for the performance,
this is not a run-of-the-mill Planets.
Atherton recreates the score with both
subtlety and aplomb, and with the necessary
bravura when called for. It is difficult
sometimes to pay too careful attention
to the music given the sheer overwhelming
beauty of the visual images, but the
underpinning is very present, and one
comes to a whole new appreciation of
Holst’s masterpiece by having a visual
element.
This presentation might
not appeal to die-hards or those who
do not appreciate the mixing of media,
but on the whole, I found this to be
a most satisfactory rendition, amply
enhanced by some fantastic photography.
It has much to recommend, and I would
encourage at least one viewing if not
many.
Kevin Sutton
BBC National Orchestra of Wales/David Atherton
OPUS
ARTE DVD OA 0916 D [59:00]
