Orchestra Victoria: Celestial Threads

Gustav Holst’s The Planets remains one of the monumental works of the 20th century, evoking the astrological characters of our solar system with colours and sonorities that are still astonishing today. Alongside this work is the Suite for String Orchestra by Gustav’s daughter Imogen Holst; its rhythmic vitality and elegant counterpoint showcase a composer with a distinctive voice whose music has only recently begun to receive the recognition it deserves.

Leading these works is Alice Farnham, who in 2024 conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra and Singers in the first major recording devoted to Imogen Holst’s orchestral output. A thrilling contemporary counterpoint is introduced by John Psathas’s Djinn, a marimba concerto drawing on myth, jazz and global traditions featuring Orchestra Victoria’s own Mathew Levy as soloist in this dazzling display of virtuosity.