The Briar and the Myrtle (1985)

Andrew Wilson-Dickson (b. 1946) — The Briar and the Myrtle (1985) for organ

Andrew Wilson-Dickson (b. 1946) is a composer, keyboardist, conductor, and teacher. Educated at Cambridge University, he moved to Wales in 1984 and has been active there for many years in varied musical pursuits. His compositions range from chamber music to operas, and have been commissioned and broadcast by the BBC and supported by many other institutions. As a keyboardist (a pupil of John Lill and Nicolas Danby) he gives piano and organ recitals, plays chamber music with a number of groups and leads the Welsh Baroque Orchestra from the harpsichord. After 20 years on the staff of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, he was awarded an honorary fellowship in 2005, allowing him to focus more on composition and performance. He conducts the only choir in Wales specializing in early choral music, and his book “The Story of Christian Music” is available in a dozen languages, from Korean to Hungarian.

“The Briar and the Myrtle” (1985) was inspired by verses from Isaiah 55: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”