Havergal Brian was one of the most remarkable of twentieth century symphonists, whose reputation for the
gargantuan (Symphony No. 1 ‘The Gothic’; Naxos 8.557418–19) has tended to overshadow the more concise
nature of his later music. His Symphony No. 20 for instance, written in 1962, is compact, thematically
sophisticated, and deeply expressive. Both it and No. 25 (1966) abandon Brian’s previous practice of onemovement
symphonies in favour of the more classical three movements. Symphony No. 25 has beautiful
melodies channelled within a wholly logical structure and is one of Brian’s most distinguished late works.
