on 1 september 1957, at the age of 36, brain was killed driving home to london after performing the tchaikovsky symphony no. 6, "pathetique" with the philharmonia under eugene ormandy at the edinburgh festival. he had driven his triumph tr2 sports car off the road and into a tree on the a1 road opposite the north gate of the de havilland aircraft factory at hatfield. brain was a noted enthusiast of fast cars and was known for keeping "autocar" magazine on his stand as he played the mozart concertos from memory during recording sessions. he was scheduled for a recording session of strauss's "capriccio" with the conductor wolfgang sawallisch the next morning in london.