Holst: The Planets

As our understanding of the cosmos expands, so too must performances of The Planets. At least that’s the logic of Sir Simon Rattle with his second recording of this celebrated seven-movement piece (which stops with Neptune). After an energized (and sometimes brawny) traversal of the solar system known to Holst, Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker press on with Colin Matthews’ “Pluto, The Renewer” and a host of contemporary pieces on similar themes—one of the best being Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s grandly alien-sounding “Asteroid 4179 - Toutatis.”