1. Charles Dutoit, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, 1986

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Up until I embarked upon this foolhardy escapade of listening to as many different Planets recordings as possible and then writing about them, my favourite version by far was this recording by Dutoit and his French-Canadian comrades. I considered this to be the deluxe recording of The Planets. There’s not a musical hair out of place. The recording is rich and opulent, and the performances are everything you’d want from each movement. Now, you might not go for the everything-in-its-place, exceptionally-well-mannered approach that Charlie and co. employ, but I responded to it in a major way. Dutoit has his fans, and he has his detractors. Full disclosure: I’m in the “I’m A Dutoit Fan!” camp. For me, this Planets was magnificence upon magnificence. Everything about it, from the playing to the recording, was absolutely right. As far as I was concerned, recordings of The Planets didn’t get any better than this.

That was how I felt before I embarked upon this foolhardy escapade. Now that I’ve listened to a gazillion + 1 recordings of The Planets, I think it’s time I revisited it to see if anything’s changed.

I’m now listening to “Mars”, and it’s astounding. (Mind you, I’m listening to it loud.) Granted, the sound of the orchestra is very polished, but the performance is… oh my. This is a “Mars” with a whole load of heft. At 5:25 there’s a very tiny trumpet mistake (it’s almost unnoticeable). While “Mars” is chugging along, I’d like to point out the hall acoustic. It’s ideal for this recording. Back to the music. The orchestral bang at 6:07: Wow. And the orchestral death throes (starting at 6:08) are astonishing.

“Venus” is perfectly peaceful. And the playing is incredible (as in “I can’t believe this music could be played that well”). The handling of the dynamics from 1:55-2:20 is a masterclass in how an orchestra can cease to be an orchestra and just become music. The last minute of “Venus” (from 8:32 onwards) is wonderful, but I must point out the last 30 seconds (from 9:05) – they are unutterably beautiful. Is this the best “Venus” on record? For me, the answer is: Yes indeedy.

“Mercury” is played exceptionally well. The orchestral balance is superb. From 1:03-1:25 is a neat little trick: The harp makes its presence felt by playing a little louder than the other instruments. But immediately after that initial “Hi there, I’m the harp” it blends in, volume-wise, with the rest of the orchestra. Now, because the harp introduced itself, you know it’s there, but when it’s in amongst the other instruments of the orchestra, and isn’t any louder or quieter than anyone else, you can hear what it’s doing whilst everything else is happening. That’s a neat trick. And because of that trick, I can hear the harp very quietly (almost imperceptibly) supporting all the solo instruments in that little section. Marvellous.

The first part of “Jupiter” (all the jolly stuff before the Big Tune, from 0:00-3:04) is maybe not as characterful (gasp!) as it can be in other versions, but it’s still splendid. However, when we get to the Big Tune (4:04-5:02) we hear the music in all its glory. Man oh man that’s a great tune. I’m pleased to say that after the Big Tune, when all the jolly stuff returns, it’s full of character. Just have a listen to the swirling music from 7:27-7:40. Magnificent.

Now we get to the serious stuff. “Saturn” is played with complete seriousness. There are no shenanigans (such as playing too fast, too slow, or messing about with phrasing, dynamics, etc.) whatsoever. It’s simply played for maximum emotional effect. Before I probably go into raptures about the next movement (Hello, “Uranus”!), I want to mention the organ at the end of “Saturn”. I used to be a hi-fi nut in the 1980s (not so much nowadays). This CD of The Planets was one I took with me to audition speakers. I took this particular disc to test the low-frequency response, and the organ at the end of “Saturn” was what I used. Those low notes of the organ, starting at 8:01, are mind-blowing. Any speaker that can handle that bass gets a big tick from me. By the way, I think the last 20 seconds (starting at 9:35, after the organ has faded away) is perfection.

Speaking of perfection, this “Uranus” really is fantastic. The orchestral balance is ideal (just hear how the timpani at 2:04-2:06 play at a cheekily low volume), and the playing is… Oops. I think I might be overdoing it with the hyperbole. Sorry about that. I’ll try to restrain myself. Maybe I can find something wrong with it. Er… Nope. As “Uranus” continues to march on its merry way, I’m marvelling at everything in it. I know this isn’t helping. I should be as objective as possible, but this recording… The organ and the orchestra at 5:15 – it’s jaw-dropping.

Now for “Neptune”. (And I’m wondering if I’ve run out of superlatives.) “Neptune” has all the mystery you want – and then some. For example, have a listen from 2:07-2:54. (That celesta gives me chills.) And in that section there are one or more instruments that sound deliberately out of tune just enough to add to the tension. (It might be accidental, but with this recording I doubt it.) When the organ comes in at 3:38, the “spookiness” factor goes up a couple of notches. And then the organ stops dead. [Shudder] The women’s choir appears at 4:22. Can I use the word “spectral” here? I’d like to, but at this point you might be saying, “Yeah, yeah, you love this recording. Sheesh, you don’t have to go on about it.” You’re right. I should really wrap this up and come to some kind of conclusion (in other words, stop typing fawning gibberish).

All I’ll say is this: Yep, Dutoit’s Planets is as good as I remember it. It’s the most satisfying version I know. And it’s the one I return to most often. This is exactly how I like to hear The Big P.

Portentous Announcement: This is the best Planets I’ve ever heard.