CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

.

Handel: Messiah

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Duo

Release Date May 10, 1993
In the same way that Naxos' New College Oxford recording of "Messiah" is an example of the English Cathedral tradition, this recording is a great sample of the choral society tradition. Although the recording includes some huge names from the world of classical music, I was not over-enthralled by the recording as a whole. The age of the recording (1966) is made obvious in the quality of sound, and the entire ensemble is too big to hear the words properly, and of course this is reflected in the acoustic. The presentation is acceptable, but there are few programme notes and no copy of the text. However, what this recording does have is drama and vigour in abundance.

Both the choir and orchestra sing well and accurately enough, and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

.

Mozart for Meditation

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Philips

Release Date February 10, 1997
I really enjoyed this CD and I did find the music relaxing. However as someone who meditates regularly I do not think that it is music that would be used to meditate to. One can sit and relax to this CD but if you want to meditate this CD, in places, can be quite stirring and would not lend itself to an actual meditation practice.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

.

Mozart for Your Mind

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Philips

Release Date July 08, 1996
This is a great introduction to Mozart and some nice musical masterpieces that will just help you unwind! However, this CD will not do any better or worse job than anything by Mozart - and I would recommend a collection compiled by Teresa Berganza, Sony. It is affordable and quite extensive.

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

.

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto / Clarinet Quintet

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Universal Classics

Release Date February 12, 1996
These performances date from the early 1970s (if I remember correctly), so I, for one, am willing to overlook the inevitable background hiss from the master tapes. As for the quality of the re-mastering, the hiss could have been reduced further, but only at the expense of the purity of the recorded music - you never get something for nothing in this life. Jack Brymer's clarinet tone had a liquid, velvety quality like nobody else's I've ever heard and for me it is more important to preserve that in this recording than to reduce the tape hiss. Brymer was one of the finest clarinetists of the 20th century and his performance of these works is characterised by a calm maturity that I find absolutely spellbinding. These are legendary performances by ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

.

Britten: Peter Grimes

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Duo

Release Date April 19, 1999
This was the first opera recording I ever listened to and it got me hooked. I've since acquired the Pears / Britten interpretation on Decca, but (so far) have been unable to relinquish my loyalty to this Philips set. The two major pillars here are Jon Vickers as Peter Grimes and Colin Davis overseeing the whole work. Vickers makes Grimes much more powerful, agressive, threatening and tortured than Pears. Right from the first bars - in the court room scene - it's clear that Vickers is going to put his heart and soul into this role. Indeed, such is the depth of his portrayal that one cannot help a degree of sympathy for the "sadistic fisherman". In fact, it is Vickers' ability to generate a complex mix of feelings in the listener that gives Grimes a real ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

.

Berlioz: Complete Orchestral Works

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Philips

Release Date August 11, 1997
Berlioz is a sadly neglected composer. However, he was a true revolutionary and an absolute genius who wrote a huge amount of totally original and imaginative compositions. In this bargain value set Sir Colin Davis does noble justice to this wonderful music.

The set includes the famous 1960s recording of the Symphonie Fantastique and listening to it now one is struck by the energy and passion which pervades the work, put in by both the composer (who wrote it under the influence of unrequited love for an English Shakespearean actress) and the conductor and orchestra (both on dazzling form).

The other major jewel in this set is the recording of Romeo et Juliette. This is perhaps my favourite of Berlioz's many pieces as it is simply overwhelmingly ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

.

Mozart: The Works for Flute

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Universal Classics

Release Date July 05, 1994
It is hard to praise a CD like this hard enough. Marriner conducts these pieces superbly. As a flautist myself, I regard this performance as musical golddust. The performance is technically exquisite and Neville Marriner conducts very well. This is great value for money and I'd fullt recommend buying it.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

.

Elgar - Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending [SACD]

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Universal Classics

Release Date October 11, 2004
To my mind this performance of the Elgar violin concerto by Hilary Hahn is immensely satisfying and remarkably mature. The support of the LSO under Sir Colin Davis is excellent. Moreover, on CD the orchestral sound and the balance given to the soloist are both very realistic and effective. Having heard many other performances on record and CD, as well as a number of live performances (by Nigel Kennedy, Cho-Liang Lin, and James Ehnes) I believe Hahn's reading stands comparison with the best. What impressed me particularly were her ability to think in long phrases and to make the notes come alive without resorting to unwelcome sentimentality.

One gripe: why is only the SACD version (which requires special playback equipment) available in the UK? I had ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

.

Elgar: Symphony No. 2 (LSO Davis)

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Lso Live

Release Date April 15, 2002
Rich, warm playing from the LSO does full justice to this (relatively) unloved symphony. The recording is tactile, detailed and has a wonderfully extended soundstage - most enjoyable. My only gripe is Davis (presumably) mumbling and humming his way through the quieter episodes (as he did, although to a less noticeable degree, thourgh the sympony 1 in the same series).

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

.

José Carreras - The Golden Years

CD-Charts > Music > Davis- Sir Colin
from: Philips

Release Date September 08, 2008
Since I first heard him in 1986, José Carreras has been my favourite tenor. His lyrical voice has captured my heart completely. No other voice moves me as Carreras' does. He moves me to tears, to laughter, to love, to beauty - to remembrance, to peace - and to HOPE!

As for this recording, my favourites are "Una furtiva lagrima" (Donizetti), "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" (Das Land des Lächelns), "Che gelida manina" (La Bohème) and yes, "Nessun Dorma" (Turandot) - and no, it's not always about the strongest voice.

I have lots of other recordings with Carreras. Spanish songs, German songs, love songs, mixture of opera arias and popular songs and of course, opera. I have reviewed "Carmen" conducted by von Karajan in Berlin in 1982 where Carreras sings ... Read More: