BBC SSO 2026-27 Season Holst's The Planets

British music is wilder than you think. For Gustav Holst, inspiration could come from the primal landscape of a Dorset heath, filtered through the imagination of Thomas Hardy. Or it could stretch beyond the solar system; discovering ancient myths and wondrous visions in the dance of the planets. And great tunes too — there’s a reason why Holst’s spectacular “symphonic suite” is one of the most beloved British classics, though if all you know of it is Jupiter or Mars, you’re in for a revelation. Ryan Wigglesworth guides us from Wessex to infinity, and joins Laura van der Heijden in Walton’s luminous Cello Concerto, her remarkable calling card since winning the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year 2012 — music written on Mediterranean shores and drenched in bittersweet song.