Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in a special performance of Holst's 'The Planets Suite'. For the first time, the viewer is given a unique view of the performance from the heart of the orchestra, as 37 High-Definition cameras placed at a variety of angles offer a never-before-seen glimpse of the orchestra at work. The concert also includes a new commission by UK composer Joby Talbot: 'Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity'.

World figure skating champion siblings Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay perform this interpretation of Gustav Holst's 'The Planets' suite to a routine choreographed by Lar Lubovitch. Featuring the Toronto Dance Theatre, the routine combines ice dancing, skating and synchronised swimming to the Montréal Symphony Orchestra's performance of Holst's music, conducted by Charles Dutoit.

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in a special performance of Holst's 'The Planets Suite'. For the first time, the viewer is given a unique view of the performance from the heart of the orchestra, as 37 High-Definition cameras placed at a variety of angles offer a never-before-seen glimpse of the orchestra at work. The concert also includes a new commission by UK composer Joby Talbot: 'Worlds, Stars, Systems, Infinity'.

Holst's popular suite was named for the St. Paul's Girls' School of Hammersmith, London - where he was the music director from 1904 until his death thirty years later. Composed in 1912 as a token of gratitude for the installation of a sound-proof teaching studio. Holst composed this and nearly all subsequent works in this studio. Now available in a newly-engraved, easy-to-read score edited by Richard Sargeant.

Dedicated to James Causley Windram, Holst's second suite inspired by English folk music was composed in 1911. The folk tunes quoted include "Glorishears," "Swansea Town," "Claudy Banks," "I'll Love My Love," "The Dargason" and "Greensleeves." Based upon the composer's manuscript and the first edition of 1922, this new edition by Richard Sargeant - beautifully engraved at an affordable price in a convenient size - will be much appreciated by bands and wind ensembles, students, and admirers of Holst's unique music worldwide.

Gustav Holst's first excursion into music for band (known as "military band" at the time) was composed in 1909. Despite there being very little standardization of the instruments and number of players used in such ensembles, Holst managed to score his three-movement work in a very flexible way so that the work could be played by an ensemble with as few as 19 wind and brass players, plus percussion. Although the occasion and ensemble which motivated the work's creation remain obscure, the 'First Suite' became tremendously popular in the years after its first publication in 1921.With the advent of public school bands in the USA, the original publisher added numerous parts for instruments not found in the original manuscript and provided substitutes for some originally designated instruments which had become obsolete over the years, producing a bloated full score in 1948. Richard Sargeant's newly engraved edition goes back to Holst's small band concept, with substitutions made to match the parts disposition and timbre of original score. Now available at an affordable price in a convenient format, this score will be welcomed by bands, wind ensembles and devoted fans of a work which is now part of the core repertoire worldwide.