BRIAN: Symphony No. 18 / Violin Concerto / The Jolly Miller - Friend, Lionel -- BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra -- Bisengaliev, Marat

Arguably one of the greatest British violin concertos, Havergal Brian’s Concerto in C major features a heroic bravura part shot through with memorable tunes often reminiscent of English folksong. The core of the work is its central passacaglia, a deeply moving demonstration of the depths of Brian’s musical imagination. The Eighteenth Symphony, written in 1961, is again Brian at his most approachable. The first movement is tight, bright and optimistic, followed by a slow movement which builds up to a powerful climax, after which the perky final movement jerks the listener back into a quick trot, though crossing some darker moments on the way.