“Getting to view these incredible images on the big screen is a treat…The ­multimedia format also seems like a winner, drawing in people who rarely ­attend classical ­concerts (ahem) as well as keeping the ­attention of even very young ­children at a family-friendly matinee ­performance. It’s like a grown up Fantasia, with extra ­scientific ­accuracy thrown in.”

“The London Philharmonic Orchestra brought their HD ­ ­Odyssey to a packed Bridgewater Hall, giving an ­audiovisual feast. The ­music was certainly well played, and the ­photography was ­astonishing…John ­Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast ­Machine opened the concert with ­contagious ­excitement…The huge audience was significantly younger than many other ­Bridgewater Hall ­concerts, and they seemed to love every minute.”

“It was up to Copp to translate musical ideas into narrative poetry. ­Mission accomplished…Goose bumps from onset to the ultimate chord… The ­premiere was a triumph for the Houston Sympony. Orbit [The Earth] will be in high demand for ensembles seeking variety in programming to bring in new ­audiences.”

“With lift-off achieved, the film of The Planets proved to be an equal blend of art and science….images were ­stunningly clear and often beautiful. The director, Duncan Copp, had ­assembled some of the best images from Nasa spacecraft and ­supplemented them with graphics derived from scientific data….Mission­ ­accomplished.”

“…the images are sometimes quite breathtaking; such as when a probe penetrates the noxious atmosphere that surrounds Venus like the fuzz of a rotten orange, or ripples through the rings of Saturn like a harpist’s fingers…Stripped of the visuals, this would be a rousing account of the Planets Suite on its own. With them, it creates an experience that is genuinely out of this world.”

“Much of what appeared onscreen was unidentifiable, but no matter; the warts and veins and fragility of our planet were lovely when married with Strauss’ textured score.”

“As the musicians, led by music director Hans Graf, thundered through the music of ‘Mars, the Bringer of War,’ images of the red planet’s mountains, gullies and craters flew across the screen. The film panned over the planet’s rocky, rust-colored surface as if it were carrying you across it at low altitude. Graf drew maximum drama from the music, which the film brilliantly matched in, for example, the long crescendo leading to the climax in ‘Saturn.’

The film gave particular attention to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, possibly the most intriguing places in the solar system, as they provide the best chance of finding extraterrestrial life. Of course, Holst was inspired by the mythological properties of the gods for which the planets were named, a narrative that sometimes clashed with astronomical reality. He wrote gentle, floating music for Venus, whose 900-degree surface temperature makes it the hottest planet in the solar system.”