BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC National Chorus of Wales, Martyn Brabbins, John Findon, Henry Waddington - Brian: Psalm 23, By the Waters of Babylon & Doctor Merryheart (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Psalm 23
02. By the Waters of Babylon
03. Doctor Merryheart: Introduction
04. Doctor Merryheart: Var. I. Whimsies and Sunshadows
05. Doctor Merryheart: Var. II. Smiles and Storms
06. Doctor Merryheart: Var. III. Dreams: Asleep in the Arms of Venus
07. Doctor Merryheart: Var. IV. Merryheart as Chivalrous Knight Chases Bluebeard
08. Doctor Merryheart: Var. V. Merryheart Fights a Dragon
09. Doctor Merryheart: Var. VI. Merryheart Leads a Procession of Heroes
10. Doctor Merryheart: Var. VII. Merryheart Awake
11. Doctor Merryheart: Var. VIII. The Dance of Merryheart

Although all three works recorded here were originally composed early in Havergal Brians career, only the overture Doctor Merryheart, written in 1911-12 and premiered within months of its completion, is entirely early Brian. Of the other two, the creation of what we now know as Psalm 23, traversed 40 years, and By the Waters of Babylon is a posthumous reconstruction, done with enormous skill and idiomatic fidelity by the composer and Brian expert Rodney Newton.