Inside Salisbury: Review of The Planets

Salisbury Cathedral's full-length film brought Holst's The Planets to life

by Annette J Beveridge

A STUNNING performance of Holst’s deeply spiritual music The Planets - Out of Darkness premiered last week on YouTube with the majestic quality of Salisbury Cathedral as a backdrop.

The exquisite film by Salisbury-based Ben Tomlin, and the stunning arrangement and performance by the assistant director of music, John Challenger made it a ‘must-see’.

The full-length film was recorded at night when the cathedral was empty and used light, shade and intense colours to add vibrancy and depth with the focus drawing the eye to the famous Father Willis Organ.

John Challenger said: “It is at night time that I find the Cathedral especially remarkable. It is not the pipe organ alone, but the stones which surround it, the feelings evoked when such music emerges from the shadows, that contribute to the overall effect.

“These meditative moments (a job perk for the very lucky organist who gets to practise at the dead of night) is something I have long wanted to share through the medium of film.”

The hour-long film was the conclusion of a two year project initiated by John Challenger. The evocative classical work which was written between 1914-1917 relates to a character of a planet from the solar system and includes Jupiter - The Bringer of Jollity, Mars - The Bringer of War and Neptune - The Mystic.

For those who missed it, the film can be seen here.