Holst

[Tynan Elder Oak]

Did anyone hear the play on Radio 4 (UK) about Holst and the process he went through when composing hte Planets?  I found it very moving and interesting.

AS a child I had been very moved by the all of the suite, and would spend hours 'dancing' to it in my room.  

It reached some very deep emotive level which as I child I had no ther way of accessing or dealing with it, so on many levels I am very grateful to good old Gustav.  

I had not really thought about the process and what lay behind what he had written, and hadn't really taken on board his friendship with Vaughn Williams so the whole programme was of great interest.

Did you know, I expect you do, that he used to write horoscopes?

[shirley mclaren]

I too love Holst and played "The Planets" over and over again in my formative years.  "Neptune" was my favourite.  Unfortunately I know nothing of his life, but I expect, like most of the world's great composers, nothing came without some sort of struggle; probably why their music is so wonderful.

BB

Shirley