Your Favourite Sir Colin Davis Recording

[Nick Armstrong]

Tippett Triple Concerto - worth buying just for the slow central movement with its exquisite soaring melody

Oh crickey, yes I bought that when it won the record of the year in the early 80s and listened to it over and over... Stunning.

[jayne lee wilson]

After last Friday's disappointing Brahms D minor Piano Concerto, I would again urgently recommend Colin Davis' performance with the Bavarian RSO and Alfred Brendel live in 1985, on Alfred Brendel; A Birthday Tribute (Decca). A performance of stunning incisiveness and impact!

Yes, the Tippett Symphonies, Concerto for Orchestra & Triple Concerto - and don't forget The Rose Lake c/w Vision of St Augustine (Conifer), all of these well-nigh definitive realisations.

On LSO live - Sibelius (especially 6&7), the daring Bruckner 6, Nielsen 4&5, Walton 1...

[salymap]

Yes, the Concertgebouw Haydn Londons for me today, or some of them.

I still can't believe he's gone.

[Richard Tarleton]

I could not be without either Trojans - I went to an ROH revival in 1972 (Vickers/Baker with Veasey singing Cassandra) but love the Vickers/Veasey combo on the disc - I also went to the Barbican in 2000. I have a soft spot for Beatrice and Benedict (in the Philips box along with Trojans and Benvenuto Cellini) although the work is more suited to seeing live in the theatre.

"Harold" with Menuhin was one of the very first classical LPs I bought, after hearing it on the Third - a year or so later, Davis played it at the Proms with Peter Schidlof. Another early LP which I still have was Bream's 1964 Concierto de Aranjuez with the Melos Chamber Ensemble, cond., er, Colin Davis.

As others - Haydn London Symphonies/Concertgebouw, LSO Live Symphonie Fantastique...

One of my favourite Mozart opera sets is the Philips Clemenza di Tito, with a dream cast. I admire the Vickers Grimes, but don't listen to it very often.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Did he record Verdi operas?

There's an "LSOLive" recording of Falstaff which I haven't heard, but which got very high praise when it came out: perhaps IGI can comment?

[Richard Tarleton]

This prompted me to Google "Colin Davis Otello" at a venture, having seen him perform it with Vickers/Carlyle, and found this

[aeolium]

All the RCO Haydns (82, 83, 88, 93-104). Was there really an 86?

I don't know about 86, but he certainly recorded nos 91 and 92 ("Oxford") with the RCO - I have the latter on LP. No 92 in particular is a wonderful performance.

[richardfinegold]

Sibelius First Symphony, with the Boston SO.

[aeolium]

I very much liked the recent Benvenuto Cellini with the LSO. Of live opera performances at the ROH I particularly remember Der Freischütz and Don Giovanni, the latter with Raimondi as the Don (he later reprised the role in the famous Losey film).

A favourite recording for personal reasons (though by no means his best) is his LP of Mozart symphonies 25, 29 and 32 with the LSO, during his 'angry young man' phase - my first experience of any Mozart symphony I think.

[silvestrione]

Tippett Triple Concerto - worth buying just for the slow central movement with its exquisite soaring melody

Yes indeed: this is one of his recordings that came into my mind first, along with the superb Tippett Sym 2, and Concerto for Orchestra.

[silvestrione]

Yes, the Tippett Symphonies, Concerto for Orchestra & Triple Concerto - and don't forget The Rose Lake c/w Vision of St Augustine (Conifer), all of these well-nigh definitive realisations.
.

Though, alas, the Vision is not conducted by Davis, but by Tippett! When Davis did it (in concert hall), the choral climaxes had so much more incisiveness.

[mathias broucek]

I don't know about 86, but he certainly recorded nos 91 and 92 ("Oxford") with the RCO - I have the latter on LP. No 92 in particular is a wonderful performance.

Thanks. I posted in haste and forgot 91/92. Both excellent.

[mathias broucek]

After last Friday's disappointing Brahms D minor Piano Concerto, I would again urgently recommend Colin Davis' performance with the Bavarian RSO and Alfred Brendel live in 1985, on Alfred Brendel; A Birthday Tribute (Decca). A performance of stunning incisiveness and impact.

[LHC]

This prompted me to Google "Colin Davis Otello" at a venture, having seen him perform it with Vickers/Carlyle, and found this

There is an interesting review of the LSO Otello performances at Opera Britannia:

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=172:otello-the-barbican-3rd-december-2009&catid=8:opera-reviews&Itemid=16

As is acknowledged in the review, the casting is not at all Italianate, and Simon O'Neill had to sight-read some of the ensemble parts, never having sung Otello before, but the performance as a whole was overwhelming. The recording will never be a BaL choice, but its certainly worth hearing. The review also mentions Sir Colin's superb performance of the Requiem and of Falstaff with the LSO and also confirms that he never seemed entirely comfortable with Verdi while at the Opera House.

In addition to the LSO recordings, Sir Colin also recorded Un Ballo in Maschera and Il Trovatore with Jose Carrerras for Philips.

[Stunsworth]

I found I had a recording of the Haffner serenade conducted by him - it's with the BRSO. It came as part of the Brilliant Complete Mozart box. Listened to it this morning.