Venus: The Bringer of Peace - Gustav Holst (Behind the Score, Ep. 41)
Added 2023-05-23 22:43:54 +0000 UTCWe're returning to The Planets by Gustav Holst. I discussed movement 1 (Mars: The Bringer of War) in episode 37. Today, it's on to movement 2 and Venus: The Bringer of Peace.
This movement has quite a different character from its predecessor, providing the 'antidote' to the arrival of Mars. I hope you enjoy the video.
My handwritten analysis is provided in the attached PDF.
Unlisted Link: https://vimeo.com/829606031/0a34379230
Comments
A lovely detailed analysis of that piece. The timing of Holst's writing of the whole suite- completely contemporaneous with WWI- makes it so poignant to hear Venus bringing peace to a continent ravaged by four years of carnage on an industrial scale. The hesitancy during the piece to arrive at a resolution perhaps echoes the weariness of the populations of Britain, France, Belgium and indeed Germany with the war, and the fact that they maybe daren't hope that peace had arrived in November '18. Of course the war was wider than that, and in a sense continued into Russia with its Civil War. I think The Planets might have been the first classical piece I really appreciated; growing up with a father who was obsessed with classical over the current pop and rock scene. So it's lovely to analyse what's going on during the seven movements.
Ralph Darvill
2024-03-21 11:19:22 +0000 UTCBeautiful! Brings out so well how exquisite this piece is.
Adie
2024-02-14 00:23:38 +0000 UTCIt would be awesome for you to do a Behind the Score, in this fashion, with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, either the piano or orchestral version… ✌️
Steve Hartke
2023-10-15 05:35:42 +0000 UTCVery cool Doug, thank you for providing great insight into this piece… Mercury up next!!
Steve Hartke
2023-10-15 05:33:27 +0000 UTCSuch a great piece of music! Doug, I've listened to this piece before, but listening to your analysis of it made me me listen more closely to it and it gave me a much deeper appreciation of its beauty. Thank you!
Gerard Dion
2023-05-29 22:45:00 +0000 UTCThat was cool. Really enjoyed that a lot!!! Nice one Doug!!! :-D
Steven Charlton
2023-05-28 22:03:44 +0000 UTCThank you for doing that. I really appreciate these classical music analyses.
Robert Pugh
2023-05-26 08:23:25 +0000 UTCAgree - want to get to the next planet (Mercury) sooner rather than later.
Great Scott
2023-05-25 05:33:13 +0000 UTCThat was wonderful. Thanks so much Doug. Looking forward to the next planet.
FallingLeaf
2023-05-24 21:40:59 +0000 UTCThanks Nick!
R. Douglas Helvering
2023-05-24 18:29:00 +0000 UTCVery enjoyable analysis Doug. I don't have the music background to fully understand a lot of what you were discussing here, but even for novices like me there were still many fascinating insights provided. So interesting to hear about how thing are broken up to allow clarinet players to breathe, or how the double basses substitute for percussion.
Nick
2023-05-24 13:28:59 +0000 UTCMaybe Maestro Holst misspelled ‘piece’. 🤔
Peter Tutak
2023-05-24 00:01:09 +0000 UTCVenus is the "bringer of peace?". THE Venus? AKA Aphrodite - the one so flighty - who wears a nighty as she's streaking across the moonlit sky? That Venus? I don't know - perhaps if she's compared to Mars. Anyone will look like a bringer of peace next to him. (Apparently, Mr. Holst had other ideas.)
DJ Marquis Marc Rambeau du Tacoma
2023-05-23 23:05:34 +0000 UTC
