Brian: Symphony No 1 'The Gothic'

On 17 July 2011 over 800 performers gathered in London’s Royal Albert Hall to give a rare performance of Havergal Brian’s Symphony No 1 in D minor—‘The Gothic’. Tickets for this Prom sold out within 24 hours, and so it gives us great pleasure to make this live recording available to all.

It’s a pretty phenomenal work. Responding to the challenge set by Sir Henry Wood, the composer has thrown just about every known orchestral instrument into the mix, then adding a double chorus of over 500, plus children’s choirs, for an hour-long Te Deum—the church’s blazing Hymn of Thanksgiving—which makes up the symphony’s finale.

Whether or not you were lucky enough to be there on the night, this is a recording not to be missed.

CDA67971/2  114 minutes 45 seconds (2 discs)
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW 'OUTSTANDING' AWARD
‘Far and away the finest [performance] it has received … in a sense, Hyperion's release is a perfect one, of a great event, a magisterial work and an encapsulation of the enormous difficulties of ...
‘This recording is the best yet … the recorded sound succeeds phenomenally … superb orchestral playing right across the board. All four soloists excel at seizing the moment in their few, but ...
‘This recording comes from the work's first, thrilling and bizarre BBC Proms performance in July … the enormous, almost mystical sound of the chorus, the intriguing vocal colours, wacky instrumen ...