In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Gustav Holst, SOMM Recordings has announced the release on 16 August of a two CD set of delightful never-before-released recordings.
Here are works of grand and intimate scale, for orchestral and chamber forces, with and without singers, offering a vivid sampling of his oeuvre in meticulous restorations of recorded live performances given in the 40s, 50s and 60s.
The earliest recordings are of live performances of The Perfect Fool suite and The Planets recorded from New York’s Radio City Studio in 1945 and Boston’s Symphony Hall in 1946, respectively. With British conductors leading orchestras from “across the pond”, this is where Holst had devoted much time in his later years conducting, lecturing and teaching.
The second disk includes a recording of Gustav Holst’s chamber opera Sāvitri dating from the 1956 Aldeburgh Festival where Gustav Holst’s daughter, Imogen had become co-artistic director alongside Benjamin Britten.
Also included are the Third Group of Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda and Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo for orchestra from their live broadcast at the Cheltenham Music Festival in 1965, Cheltenham incidentally being Gustav’s birthplace. In addition, the 4 Songs for soprano and violin and The Evening-Watch for mixed chorus, which were probably pre-recorded in closed sessions and originally aired later that year.
Find out more on the SOMM Recordings website