DAY 193: Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst
Performed by: London Symphony Orchestra From: The Planets Debut: September 29th, 1918 Genre: Classical
It’s so mesmerizing to me how relatively recent space exploration is to human history. In about a week, we will have eclipsed the 50th anniversary of the American module Eagle landing on the moon. Those first words immortalized by Neil Armstrong resonate clearly today, as the space race rages on to venture unexplored horizons humanity has left untouched. The age of space exploration today is fronted by entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos who have personally began to fund their own independent interstellar agencies. Space has never been so enticing in the modern age. Even before times where space exploration was even a possibility, humans have been enamored by the prospect of what lies in the great beyond. The popularity of science fiction dates back to the times of the ancient mythology when the Greeks imagined constellations among the twinkling stars, reaching an apex in the mid 19th Century with landmark media including Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds broadcast and Steven Spielberg’s thriller Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Among other forms of media, musicians have also shared the curiosity of galactic travel, although prevalent examples are few and far between. However, thoughts of outer space immediately spark ambient tones that have become the standard for auditory accompaniment for space settings. Where does that feeling of curiosity and wonder derive from? Well, a large part of the credit can be given to English composer Gustav Holst, who in 1918 debuted his wildly popular suite The Planets to critical acclaim. The original suite takes the listener on a tour throughout the planets of our Solar System, focusing the musical themes of each planet more astrologically than astronomically. Holst personifies each planet with a subtitle for each movement, such as Venus: the Bringer of Peace and Saturn: the Bringer of Old Age. These subtitles set the stage for the performance style of each movement, beautifully interpreting each planet’s image through the music provided. A colorful orchestral arrangement conjures celestial images of these powerful bodies, enticing listeners and leaving audiences at the edge of their seat. The Planets has since gone on to inspire some of the best examples of space related media, including movie composers John Williams and Hans Zimmer. Listening to the suite should be as much of a reasoning as I need to give, and what better place to start than with the opening movement Mars: the Bringer of War. A regimental sound is established from the get go, paired with ominous yet prominent low brass that swells into an epic full-on blast of winds and strings, denoting the mighty presence of the red planet. The tone overall is unsettling, despite the triumphant shifts that appear sparingly throughout the movement. Mars uses contrasting dynamics to emphasize pivotal moments in the narrative, most explicitly in the ending minutes. A title like the Bringer of War has to be matched in tone, and the aggressive onslaught of brass carries this image with blasting trumpets and erupting trombones. The terror of the unknown abyss of space is captured magnificently, and as The Planets embarks on its maiden voyage, there is no better reminder of the danger of exploration than Mars. I would recommend this suite to anybody looking to break into classical arrangements, as The Planets is exciting and wonderous even for the common listener.
