Music and Vinyl: Holst - The Hymn of Jesus

For many people, Gustav Holst's name is synonymous with The Planets and not much else, which is unfortunate because he wrote so much else that is worth hearing. His first major piece after The Planets was this choral work - The Hymn of Jesus, which was completed in 1917. Using words from a Gnostic text - the Apocryphal Acts of St.John, Holst's setting was far removed from the oratorio style prevalent at the time.

This essay on The Hymn of Jesus is well worth a read, and the sleeve notes for this album are given below.