Amazon.ca
The spousal piano duo of John and Fiona York, who perform on this recording of Holst's
The Planets, have a particular link to Gustav Holst. They both teach piano at St Paul's Girls' School, Hammersmith where Holst himself was director of music for nearly 30 years. Indeed, rummaging through a cupboard in the school, John York found an engraved copy of Holst's own four hands, one piano arrangement of
The Planets. This disc contains the world premiere recording of this work, and both the arrangement and performance are stunning. York2 (as Mr and Mrs York like to be known) perfectly bring out the pianism inherent in certain movements, such as the magical "Venus, the Bringer of Peace", making it sound as if it were originally conceived for the piano. Paradoxically, they also manage to imbue the music with a rich set of quasi-orchestral sonorities--you can almost hear the brass in "Mars, the Bringer of War". As a bonus, also included are some short pieces, often based on folk melodies, which show the astonishing breadth of musical expression and invention Holst was capable of. Possessed with a telepathic sense of timing and togetherness, and playing with breathtaking clarity, York2 make this a great disc for anyone with even a passing interest in Holst's music. --
Stephen Chamberlain
