The Planets

Album by Gustav Holst & Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper & Sir Adrian Boult

The Planets is an orchestral suite by English composer Gustav Holst, composed between 1914 and 1916 and first performed in 1918. Across seven movements it uses vivid orchestral colour, distinctive rhythmic drive and contrasting moods to portray astrological characters rather than literal astronomy, marking a key transition in Holst's career from choral and academic work to a predominantly orchestral focus and securing its place in 20th-century British classical repertoire.