Here are five crazy facts about English composer Gustav Holst's sublime orchestral suite, The Planets. (1) Holst did not think his magnificent work—one of the cornerstones of 20th-century classical music—ranked among his best. (2) It was originally written for two pianos, not an orchestra, which is something you'd never deduce from the heart-clenching atmosphere created by brass, strings, and timpani on the suite's opener, "Mars, the Bringer of War," perhaps one of a only a few legitimately terrifying pieces of music ever composed. (3) The grandiose main theme of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" can inspire strength and courage in even the smallest, most timid creature. (4) The eerie fadeout at the end of the suite's finale, "Neptune, the Mystic," was initially achieved by putting a choir in a different room and slowly shutting the door. Audiences at the 1918 premiere, having never heard music fade out in this way, were flabbergasted. (5) This Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the Oregon Symphony affords you three chances to witness this masterpiece, one of the most accessible and beautiful pieces of music to be found on our own humble planet. NED LANNAMANN Also see My, What a Busy Week!