Gustav Holst’s The Planets remains one of the great orchestral landmarks of the 20th century, its seven movements evoking the astrological characters of our solar system with colours and sonorities that still astonish a century after their creation. Heard alongside this monumental work is the Suite for String Orchestra by Gustav’s daughter Imogen Holst, a finely crafted four-movement score written in 1943. 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, which was praised for bringing her long-neglected works to vivid life. A thrilling contemporary counterpoint is introduced by John Psathas’s Djinn, a concerto for marimba that draws on myth, jazz and global traditions to create a work of great excitement and imagination. Orchestra Victoria’s Mathew Levy, Section Principal Percussion, steps forward as soloist in this dazzling display of virtuosity.