I have previously shared about Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” a magnificent and expansive orchestral work that encompasses nearly every aspect of composition imaginable. In an earlier project, I used source files from MuseScore.org to create a digital performance, which mainly involved correcting errors in the MuseScore files and then producing a MIDI output for Cubase.
This time, my approach was different. I imported what I could into Dorico using MusicXML and manually entered the rest. It was a massive effort, worked on intermittently over several years. Dorico’s unique approach to handling metric modulation and mixed meters made some sections challenging to edit.
Having extensive experience with Dorico and a background as a retired programmer, I now appreciate why they designed mixed meter handling this way. From a systematic perspective, metric metering is somewhat of a workaround, since tempo beats typically correspond to a single meter. Introducing a second meter means its beats represent fractions of the main meter.
The audio you hear here was exported directly from Dorico and mastered in WaveLab.
Update 3/30/2026
I shared this project on the Dorico support forum, and it has sparked tremendous enthusiasm! Clearly, many others share the desire to have this score available in a contemporary format.
A musicologist from the Dorico forum, BenWiggy, kindly contributed enhancements and thoroughly proofread the work. I’m truly grateful for his efforts and excited that this project is becoming a major showcase for Dorico. Another contributor, Mducharme, is currently refining the project to create individual player parts and will develop a YouTube training series specifically for film composers, featuring this project.
I’ll keep updating the project here and on IMSLP as the Dorico community continues to perfect the Dorico version of The Planets, making it the best it can be.
Be sure to visit his Ben’s sacred music site, where he is hosting the Dorico project source as well.
Ben-Byram-Wigfield