The long-neglected British composer Havergal Brian (1876–1972) is gradually coming in from the cold, with recordings on Naxos, Dutton, Testament and now Toccata Classics.

Self-taught, from a working-class family in Stoke-on Trent, he shot to fame when Henry Wood discovered him for the 1907 Proms, but he remained an outsider to the British musical establishment, and is as much known for his creative persistence in the face of utter neglect as for the extremely serious and ambitious works that he produced.

His copious output famously includes 32 symphonies, begun when he was in his mid-forties and continued at a constant rate well into his 90s. Brian’s symphonies demand large orchestras, occasionally requiring gigantic forces on stage – Sir Adrian Boult, who conducted his First Symphony (The Gothic), reportedly had to rehearse with a megaphone in order to be heard.

There is also a substantial body of smaller symphonic works such as those featured on this disc (overtures, suites, symphonic poems and variations), that he began as a young man and which he continued to compose as a complement to his later symphonic output.

The four works here span 65 years and encompass his entire composing career: from the early Burlesque Variations that was also championed at the Proms and presumed lost until 1974, to two mature and highly contrasted works from the 1950s and finally his epilogue – Ave atque Vale, music of astonishing vigour and energy for a 92-year-old, and the penultimate work that he wrote before he died.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading orchestras and enjoys an enviable position as a cultural flagship for the BBC and for Scotland. It is the only Scottish orchestra to win the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for best orchestra, and its commercial recordings have received a number of prizes, including four Gramophone Awards.

First recordings of:
- Legend: Ave atque vale
- Elegy