Sir Colin Davis Essentials

Sir Colin, who died in 2013, aged 85, was a major figure in the music world with posts at Covent Garden, Munich, Dresden and the LSO, an orchestra he'd first conducted in 1959. His greatest musical service was to the music of Berlioz, for which he had an extraordinary sympathy. These recordings are absolute classics. But he also loved Sibelius, whose symphonies he recorded three times. An elegant Mozartian and a true man of the theatre, Davis' grace and poise on the podium was unrivaled, and he could also keep an orchestra in fantastic shape.