Background
Brain was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 12 August 1943, the only child of Charlotte Helen (Ivy) and Clifford Charles Brain.
Brain was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand on 12 August 1943, the only child of Charlotte Helen (Ivy) and Clifford Charles Brain.
After that he retrained as a conductor, studying under Rafael Kubelík for four years, and attended master classes with Lorin Maazel. As a child he studied the piano, cello, horn and percussion instruments. He studied piano, cello and composition with Boris Blacher and timpani with Werner Tharichen, the timpanist of the Berlin Philharmonic.
He was principal timpanist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra until an accident damaged his wrist beyond repair. He was a professional conductor from 1990 until his death. Brain lived in Paris with his partner from 1986 until his death.
He began his career as a timpanist after attending Berlin"s Staatliche Hochschule für Musik.
He played in the British Broadcasting Corporation Training Orchestra in Bristol, United Kingdom. Brain played as a percussionist with the National Orchestra of Wales and the Ulster Orchestra in Ireland and as timpanist with the Royal Opera, London.
In 1968 he was appointed principal timpanist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. About this time, Brain founded his "Concerts in Schools" programme.
He toured New Zealand with one tonne of instruments, doing solo performances at schools, colleges and universities.
He aimed to bring classical music to young people in a light-hearted and interesting way and at the same time promote the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He also took his one-man programme to Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Egypt. He also founded "Music for Youth" (Jeunesses Musicals) the South Pacific"s branch of the World Youth Orchestra.
On a United Airlines flight to the United States, a suitcase fell from an overhead locker and crushed Brain"s wrist.
Despite many operations, and with serious septicaemia infections, he was unable to continue his playing career. He re-trained as a conductor in Paris, conducting and recording various orchestras in Europe.
He championed and recorded the works of a little-known Polish-Swiss composer, Czesław Marek.