The Planets cover

The Planets

Leonard Bernstein · 1973

51 min · 7 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

Instrumental
89 /100
Summit
Higher than 99% of albums we've rated

Holst’s sharply differentiated orchestral portraits and Neptune’s vanishing close make a coherent, richly repeatable suite; Bernstein’s weighty pacing marks this performance witho…

What we noticed

  • Mars drives its repeated five-beat figure with heavy, deliberate accents; Venus then sharply reduces the orchestral weight and pace.
  • The seven movements follow Holst’s sequence of planetary portraits, shifting from Jupiter’s broad, buoyant tune to Saturn’s slower, accumulating weight.
  • Neptune closes with a wordless women’s chorus that recedes as the orchestra thins, ending by fading away rather than landing on a firm final chord.
Composition 25% of the score
9/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
8/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
7/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
8/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 The Planets: I. Mars, the Bringer of War 6:36
  • 2 The Planets: II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace 9:35
  • 3 The Planets: III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger 3:57
  • 4 The Planets: IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity 8:17
  • 5 The Planets: V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age 8:53
  • 6 The Planets: VI. Uranus, the Magician 5:24
  • 7 The Planets: VII. Neptune, the Mystic 8:20

What to play next

Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story / William Russo: Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra
Listen next

Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story / William Russo: Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra

1973
Carmen (Suites 1 and 2) / Peer Gynt (Suites 1 and 2)
Go back to

Carmen (Suites 1 and 2) / Peer Gynt (Suites 1 and 2)

1973
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Reference: MusicBrainz