The Planets

by Gustav Holst / Tomita

The Planets cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1976
  • Label: RCA Red Seal
  • Country: Japan
  • Length: 52:09
  • Community rating: 3.73/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

A dazzling electronic realization of Gustav Holst's legendary orchestral suite, performed entirely on analog synthesizers by the Japanese pioneer Isao Tomita. His meticulous programming and vast spatial mixing transformed the classical masterwork into a distinctly futuristic, sci-fi soundscape. The album became a massive crossover hit, fundamentally proving the expressive capabilities of the synthesizer in classical arrangements.

Genres

Descriptors: Modern, progressive, space, atmospheric, instrumental

Tracklist

  1. The Planets, Op. 32: Mars, The Bringer of War. Allegro (10:55)
  2. The Planets, Op. 32: Venus, The Bringer of Peace. Adagio (8:38)
  3. The Planets, Op. 32: Mercury, The Winged Messenger. Vivace (5:23)
  4. The Planets, Op. 32: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity. Allegro giocoso - Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age. Adagio (17:26)
  5. The Planets, Op. 32: Uranus, the Magician. Allegro - Neptune, the Mystic. Andante - Allegretto (9:46)

Credits

  • Tomita - primary artist, performer [electronically performed by]
  • Gustav Holst - primary artist, composed by
  • Stanislaw Fernandes - artwork

More from Gustav Holst / Tomita: full discography