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SYMPHONY NO. 3 "PLANET EARTH" (2006)
The North Netherlands Orchestra and Concert Choir, conducted by Otto Tausk
Joris de Man, electronic samples
FLAC + CUE + LOG + SCANS | 3 Tracks | 00:48:56 | 273MB
Recording Date: April 18 & 19, 2006
Label: Amstel Music
Catalog Number: Amstel Classics CD 2006-01
Johan De Meij
Symphony No 3 (Planet Earth) – 2006
mega.nz (https://mega.nz/#!RcFggCaY!GyeNDSq4ZzNNMbh4V-lZ-nt4R6Eg8zH4XNkikwx_G7s) (MP3 -V0)
1st Movement: Lonely Planet (start – 17:00)
2nd Movement: Planet Earth (17:00 – 29:05)
3rd Movement: Mother Earth (29:05 – end)
This is a live recording (unreleased) of the world premiere of the piece – I believe the orchestra is the North Netherlands Philharmonic. They have recorded it in the studio, and this CD is available – and is no doubt sonically superior to this recording, which was made from the Dutch radio broadcast of the premiere concert. However, there is a certain vitality to this recording – that live excitement that you never quite match with a polished, perfect, studio performance.
About this symphony…
This is a massive piece, clocking in at nearly fifty minutes. De Meij intended it as a companion piece to Holst’s "The Planets" – whereas Holst looked at every planet but the Earth, De Meij composed his symphony as an ode exclusively to our very own planet. The choral writing is, in places, reminiscent of Holst – indeed, there is even a quote from Neptune, but this is very much De Meij’s piece. It’s scored for full symphony orchestra, choir, plus electronics – pre-recorded sound on tape, and synthesisers. Incidentally, Joris De Man (Killzone) helped out with the electronic sections of this symphony. This piece has a considerably more modern feeling about it than the first symphony – De Meij is channelling John Adams (a great deal) and Phillip Glass (to a lesser extent) here as the piece is essentially minimalist in construction – a handful of motifs and melodies, repeated and expanded throughout the piece. If you like the way Ravel’s Bolero builds and builds, you’ll like the way this piece is set out. If you like John Adams, you’ll like this. If you like the sound of an enormous orchestra, noble brass, and anthemic lyricism, you’ll like this. Give it a try – it’s a wonderful piece written about a wonderful planet. 🙂
About this recording…
This recording was made, as I have noted previously, from Dutch radio. Please, do not download this if less than perfect sound quality offends you. It is nowhere near bad – but it’s not absolutely flawless. The recording came to me mere days after the concert – in mono, and in absolutely appalling condition. I spent six months arriving at the fully remastered edition I’m uploading for you today. I have performed noise reduction (there was low frequency hum and tape hiss present all the way through) as well as re-equalised to bring out the midrange and higher frequencies, calm down the lower frequencies, and generally provide a bit of breathing room to what was initially a pretty boxy recording. I have also applied a light reverb, once again, to try to give the piece a little breathing space. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely listenable, and it’s also RARE!
DOWNLOAD
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