What makes this album stand out from its competitors is not so much The Planets itself as LSO Live's choice of a filler, Bax's symphonic poem Tintagel...Pappano does ardour very well, and Bax's rhapsodic gusto makes a striking contrast with Holst's space trip into the mysterious beyond.

there's absolutely no denying the intensive preparation and formidable technical prowess on show. 'Mars' can rarely have sounded more intimidating, the LSO operating at maximum throttle in a reading of remorseless power and savage fury that conjures a terrifying vision of mechanised war.

It takes about two seconds to notice that this is a performance full of vivid detail. It's fascinating how Pappano paces 'Mars' in terms of its dramatic build-up – he doesn't just ask the orchestra to belt everything at full tilt, and what this means is that when the brass are allowed off the leash, the impact is all the more telling. As compelling as these moments are, where this reading scores equally highly is in the quieter, mysterious passages, especially the gliding, ethereal strings at the end of 'Saturn' and also throughout 'Neptune'.

Everything is audible, a fact which would terrify a less virtuosic ensemble. All matters of tuning, intonation and balance are everything one could hope for...Pappano’s approach to [The Planets] makes the music’s progress sound inevitable. There are no surprises as regards tempi, and all Holst’s orchestral detail is given ample space to make its effect.