The music world likes a decent anniversary, something to focus on. Prominent among the anniversaries this year has been the 150th of Gustav Holst’s birth: a composer so associated with The Planets that he’s in constant danger of dismissal as a one-hit wonder, which would be unfair.
The Planets has enjoyed a field day in this anniversary season, courtesy of any concert hall or festival with access to an orchestra. But at the same time, festivals with access to a choir – by which I mean a big choir, capable of making serious noise – have been attending to Holst’s Hymn of Jesus. And among them was the Cheltenham Festival, which has a special claim on Holst in that the town boasts (and maintains as a museum) his birthplace.
