The Planets Suite
‘The Planets’ is possibly the most famous piece of British classical music in the world. It was written by the famous English composer Gustav Holst between 1914 and 1917.
《行星》可能是世界上最著名的英国古典音乐作品。它由著名英国作曲家古斯塔夫·霍尔斯特在1914年至1917年间创作。
The first public performance was at the Queen’s Hall in London on November 15, 1920. However, before this there was a private performance to about 250 invited guests on September 29, 1918. This performance was a farewell gift to Holst from his friends before he started his military service.
第一次公开演出是在1920年11月15日伦敦女王音乐厅举行的。然而，在此之前，1918年9月29日曾为大约250位受邀嘉宾举行过私人演出。这场演出是霍尔斯特朋友在他开始服兵役前送给他的告别礼物。
Holst was inspired to write this music by his study of astrology. He was introduced to astrology by a friend and fellow English composer, Arnold Bax. Holst became quite enthusiastic about this subject and would often produce horoscopes for his friends for fun.
霍尔斯特受到占星学研究的启发而且创作了这部音乐。他通过一位朋友兼英国作曲家阿诺德·巴克斯接触到了占星学。霍尔斯特对这一主题非常热衷，经常会为朋友们制作星座预测以娱乐自己。
Originally, this music was written for 2 pianos. When composing the music, Holst had to have help to write it down because the nerves in his right hand were damaged. ‘The Planets’ was later transcribed for orchestra by Holst and the orchestral version is the one now loved by audiences.
最初，这首音乐是为两台钢琴作的。在作曲时，霍尔斯特因为右手神经受损，需要他人协助记录乐谱。《行星》后来由霍尔斯特为管弦乐改编，而且如今观众喜爱的版本就是管弦乐版本。
This piece of music consists of 7 sections, each section named after a different planet. The seven sections are:
Mars, the Bringer of War
Venus, The Bringer of Peace
Mercury, the Winged Messenger
Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
Uranus, the Magician
Neptune, the Mystic
这段音乐由7个部分组成，每个部分以不同的行星命名。这七个部分是：
火星，战争的使者
金星，和平的使者
水星，有翼的信使
木星，欢乐的使者
土星，老龄的使者
天王星，魔法师
海王星，神秘者
The first section, ‘Mars’, opens quietly but soon develops a fierce martial theme. Loud brass fanfares, thumping drums and cymbals symbolise the clash between large opposing forces. There is a sudden lull but this is short lived, and the aggressive musical onslaught then continues.
第一部分“火星”开头平静，但很快发展出激烈的军事主题。响亮的铜管军号、沉重的鼓声和钹声象征着大规模对立力量之间的冲突。随后出现短暂的宁静，但很快结束，随后侵略性的音乐攻击继续展开。
Many people thought that this section was a condemnation of the First World War, however Holst had been composing this music in his mind long before the First World War started.
许多人认为这一部分是对第一次世界大战的谴责，然而霍尔斯特早在第一次世界大战开始前就已经在心中作曲了这段音乐。
The second section, ‘Venus’ presents a tranquil scene represented by flutes and a solo violin. However, the piece slowly develop to show the hidden power behind the planet, like a wide, slowly moving river.
第二部分《金星》呈现了由长笛和独奏小提琴表现的宁静场景。然而，音乐曲逐渐发展，展示出这颗星球背后的潜在力量，就像一条宽广缓慢流动的河流。
The third section, ‘Mercury’ shows this planet to be spritely and ephemeral. The music, using harps and strings, dances around, not lingering on any specific theme.
第三部分“水星”展示了这颗行星的轻快和短暂。音乐使用竖琴和弦乐，轻快地跳跃，不在任何特定主题上停留。
The forth section, ‘Jupiter’ is regal. There is a majestic and instantly recognisable tune that dominate this section. Holst would later use this tune in his famous English patriotic hymn ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’.
第四部分“木星”充满威严。有一个庄严而且立即可识别的旋律主导着这一部分。霍尔斯特后来在他著名的英国爱国圣歌《我向你宣誓我的祖国》中使用了这段旋律。
The fifth section, ‘Saturn’, represents old age. The orchestra acts out the frustration that comes with old age, lashing out wildly before finally accepting the inevitable.
第五部分“土星”代表老年。管弦乐队表现出随老年而且来的挫折感，先是疯狂发泄，最终接受不可避免的事实。
The sixth section, ‘Uranus’, has a rather sinister theme. While listening to the music you can imagine a wizard in a darkened room mixing potions and casting spells for nefarious reasons.
第六部分“天王星”有一个相当险恶的主题。在听这段音乐时，你可以想象一位巫师在昏暗的房间里混合药水并施法，为邪恶目的而行动。
The final section, ‘Neptune’, uses flutes and ethereal women’s voices to represent a planet that is beautiful but cold and distant. This planet just floats in space, isolated and undisturbed by man.
最后一部分“海王星”使用长笛和空灵的女性声响来表现一个既美丽又寒冷、遥远的行星。这个星球只是漂浮在太空中，与人类隔绝，宁静无扰。
As soon as ‘The Planets’ was performed, it became a firm favourite with the public. The easily recognised tunes and brilliantly expressive orchestration means that this music is often played at musical concerts around the world. The English folksong style of the musical themes and soaring violins in ‘The Planets’ make it particularly appealing to English audiences.
《行星》一经演出，就受到公众的喜爱。易于识别的旋律和极富表现力的管弦乐编排使这部音乐常在世界各地的音乐会上演奏。《行星》中英伦民谣风格的音乐主题和高昂的提琴演奏使其对英国观众尤其有吸引力。