Earth and Other Planets Review – Holst Reimagined with Harmonica and Shovel | classical music

‘IIs it a concert? Is it a party?” mused writer Robert MacFarlane, as he introduced the second half of this quirky, classic-meets-folk performance. By the end, melodionist and harmonica player Will Pound had come to his own conclusions: The encore — an upbeat, gently manic arrangement of Sailor’s Hornpipe — would be “a rave,” he joked, to polite laughter from the decidedly well-behaved audience.

Not that the evening lacked moments that inspired toe-tapping and chin-bobbing. Percussionist Delia Stevens realized this, dancing among the instruments placed around her as if at a jumbled auction—among them a collection of mixing bowls, a single toy piano, a guitar balanced next to a vibraphone, plus as many drums and shakers and other oddities as I’ll mention, often played two or three at a time. As a duo, Stevens and Pound consider themselves “left-wing folk.” Their combination of Pound’s folk background and Stevens’ classical training is all about high energy and rhythmic virtuosity.

Silent Planet, their “re-imagining” of Holst’s beloved orchestral suite The Planets, features poetic narrations from Macfarlane accompanied by atmospheric improvisations from soloists from Britten’s Sinfonia as well as Stevens and Pound, before conductor Clark Rundell takes the reins of each movement. There were some wonderful effects: terrifying, warlike explosions from a conch shell for Mars, bright flares from the horn on Mercury, and a stormy whirlwind for Venus. But it also stretched noisily, with movements sliding into each other in their quick transitions from drones to jigs and reels, while Ian Gardiner’s orchestration lacked the finesse of Holst’s original work. Only the new movement, Earth, threaded with the tune of All Things Bright and Beautiful, was briefly allowed more breathing room before another syncopated round.

The first half presented ancient encounters between folklore and classics. Britten’s English Folksong Suite and Grainger’s irresistibly familiar Lincolnshire Posy – which saw the winds and brass of the Britten Sinfonia joined by members of Smith Square’s Sinfonia – bookended a Stevens and Pound medley that turned the same folk tunes into a funky slant on tango and bluegrass. Fragmented? Yes. ambitious? Usually from one of the UK’s most stubborn classic bands. Hazar? definitely.