Yes, the tie will be back--some jokes get old with too much repetition, and I'm doing a big Beethoven series now (with tie), so no harm in a little variety.
So, 1987, i buy my very first cd player soon followed by several rock cd's, all analog recordings. I want to hear "full digital," and realize the only way is to buy classical music. The first classical cd i buy (tower records in phila had a separate classical store across south street) was colin davis and the brso doing the 9th! I was stunned... and hooked. Still have it. Over the decades not many recordings have amazed me like this. They must've stamped only a few thousand copies because no review guide has mentioned this version for 40 years. Agree with david that Philips engineers hit a home run here. On a related note, i just ordered a used copy of i musici's digital brandenburgs on Philips. Another dave recommendation which seems to be long out of print. The earlier analog versions hang around as a budget philips duo, which i already own.
I don’t know if it’s fair to call Davis underrated because he certainly was greatly esteemed in his time and place, but it’s easy to forget how good his Beethoven is with so many Austro-German and mitteleuropean maestros competing in the same time frame. I imagine anyone who purchases this box will be very pleased they did so.
Collie's Bruckner Mass in f-minor is worth mentioning because it has such a natural and deep feeling of religious devotion (which some people say makes up for his less characterized recordings of the symphonies) and with the Beethoven is a great setting of the Mass. And it was recorded in Bavaria using the original version. It has Karita Matilla, Kurt Moll and Thomas Moser who is from Virginia which is in my neck of the woods among the soloists. His Faure Requiem is like that too, with a quite striking sense of devotion. He was an outstanding conductor of choral music-there is another idea for a box because he did a fine Haydn Seasons with Heather Harper and John Shirley-Quirk along with many other choral pieces like like MacMillan's Mass (not sure that's the correct piece) Tippett's Child of our Time, Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex more then once, and also a naturally expressive collection of the Brahms choral music with the Bavarians which includes him conducting the a cappella Songs of Mary which show a telling sense of dynamic contrast. There's another Missa Solemnis with the Bavarians too along with a right on Choral Fantasy with Gerhard Oppitz. He also did a video of the Brahms Requiem which was beautiful and had Bryn Terfel. Sibelius' Kullervo more than once, Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, Mozart Masses and Requiem and Vespers, etc. All in first class performances. So how about a Colin Davis choral box?
Another Beethoven box is more than I want, but I grabbed a cheap used copy of the 9th with the Bavarian orchestra. Davis is the conductor who hooked me on Haydn with the 2 Phillips twofers of the London Symphonies with the Concertgebouw.
Another great talk, thank you. Integrity, so important and which Colin D so absolutely had. Would you do a roundup of other fine artists for whom it was a given? And (libel laws allowing) those that wouldn’t recognise the concept if you served it to them on a silver plate with watercress round it?
Your contrast of Davis’ more exciting earlier work with his later reminds me of how amazed i was when his 60’s Messiah came along. The remake didn’t seem to have the same fire, and I don’t know if it just seems that way in retrospect, since I haven’t heard the earlier one in a long time. My most memorable live Davis experience was the 60’s Peter Grimes at the Met with Vickers.
Just backing up Dave here - Piano Concertos 4 & 5 with Kovacevich are as fine as you'll ever hear. Kovacevich's range of dynamics and beauty of tone are extraordinary. For me, much to be preferred over Davis' later remakes with Arrau.
Thanks Dave. I’ve been learning so much from your reviews. Our favorites don’t always match but you make us discover other amazing options. Love it! Would you consider doing a review of Harnoncourt’s Complete Sony recordings box set? Or better yet... how about doing a new series reviewing conductors themselves? Say the yeas and nays of Harnoncourt, Vegh, Hogwood, Solti etc? ;)
Many thanks, Dave, for this informative review of this Colin Davis Beethoven box. I have known the concertos with Kovacevich for many years, but have never heard any of Davis's Symphonies, Overtures, or Masses. I'm definitely the poorer for this inadvertence. My question is: When will Universal/Eloquence reissue all of Davis's splendid Haydn recordings for Phillips? His was possible the best cycle of London Symphonies ever recorded.
I have no idea. It would be nice. I don't agree with you that Davis is "the best," but they are excellent generally and there's some very nice stuff beyond just the London Symphonies.
Ok, I just ordered this, so you clearly sold me, but how the hell am I supposed to get this Szell Missa Solemnis. I've been his biggest fan for a quarter century. Take my money, just send me the damned disk. I still can't get over why the Cleveland Orchestra isn't doing more to "own label" issue some of this stuff. They put it in that anniversary box, but that was the first and last we saw of it.
Colin Davis always one of my very favorites. He "owns" Berlioz (at last his older recordings,e.g., his newer Requiem is nowhere near as good as the old one) - the way Rubinstein "owned" Chopin. I am listening to the 9th now, which I have not heard before, and it is indeed outstanding - likely to be my current favorite!
I got to know and love the Beethoven 7 in the Davis- LSO recording in the 70s. I still think it is one of the most muscular and exciting performances on record- the finale is a knockout.
Oh... I heard 'The Ninth' without a tie there. Another nice video, thanks
Yes, the tie will be back--some jokes get old with too much repetition, and I'm doing a big Beethoven series now (with tie), so no harm in a little variety.
So, 1987, i buy my very first cd player soon followed by several rock cd's, all analog recordings. I want to hear "full digital," and realize the only way is to buy classical music. The first classical cd i buy (tower records in phila had a separate classical store across south street) was colin davis and the brso doing the 9th! I was stunned... and hooked. Still have it. Over the decades not many recordings have amazed me like this. They must've stamped only a few thousand copies because no review guide has mentioned this version for 40 years. Agree with david that Philips engineers hit a home run here. On a related note, i just ordered a used copy of i musici's digital brandenburgs on Philips. Another dave recommendation which seems to be long out of print. The earlier analog versions hang around as a budget philips duo, which i already own.
I don’t know if it’s fair to call Davis underrated because he certainly was greatly esteemed in his time and place, but it’s easy to forget how good his Beethoven is with so many Austro-German and mitteleuropean maestros competing in the same time frame. I imagine anyone who purchases this box will be very pleased they did so.
Collie's Bruckner Mass in f-minor is worth mentioning because it has such a natural and deep feeling of religious devotion (which some people say makes up for his less characterized recordings of the symphonies) and with the Beethoven is a great setting of the Mass. And it was recorded in Bavaria using the original version. It has Karita Matilla, Kurt Moll and Thomas Moser who is from Virginia which is in my neck of the woods among the soloists. His Faure Requiem is like that too, with a quite striking sense of devotion. He was an outstanding conductor of choral music-there is another idea for a box because he did a fine Haydn Seasons with Heather Harper and John Shirley-Quirk along with many other choral pieces like like MacMillan's Mass (not sure that's the correct piece) Tippett's Child of our Time, Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex more then once, and also a naturally expressive collection of the Brahms choral music with the Bavarians which includes him conducting the a cappella Songs of Mary which show a telling sense of dynamic contrast. There's another Missa Solemnis with the Bavarians too along with a right on Choral Fantasy with Gerhard Oppitz. He also did a video of the Brahms Requiem which was beautiful and had Bryn Terfel. Sibelius' Kullervo more than once, Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, Mozart Masses and Requiem and Vespers, etc. All in first class performances. So how about a Colin Davis choral box?
Another Beethoven box is more than I want, but I grabbed a cheap used copy of the 9th with the Bavarian orchestra. Davis is the conductor who hooked me on Haydn with the 2 Phillips twofers of the London Symphonies with the Concertgebouw.
Another great talk, thank you. Integrity, so important and which Colin D so absolutely had. Would you do a roundup of other fine artists for whom it was a given? And (libel laws allowing) those that wouldn’t recognise the concept if you served it to them on a silver plate with watercress round it?
Your contrast of Davis’ more exciting earlier work with his later reminds me of how amazed i was when his 60’s Messiah came along. The remake didn’t seem to have the same fire, and I don’t know if it just seems that way in retrospect, since I haven’t heard the earlier one in a long time. My most memorable live Davis experience was the 60’s Peter Grimes at the Met with Vickers.
Just backing up Dave here - Piano Concertos 4 & 5 with Kovacevich are as fine as you'll ever hear. Kovacevich's range of dynamics and beauty of tone are extraordinary. For me, much to be preferred over Davis' later remakes with Arrau.
Thanks Dave. I’ve been learning so much from your reviews. Our favorites don’t always match but you make us discover other amazing options. Love it! Would you consider doing a review of Harnoncourt’s Complete Sony recordings box set? Or better yet... how about doing a new series reviewing conductors themselves? Say the yeas and nays of Harnoncourt, Vegh, Hogwood, Solti etc? ;)
I'd consider it...thanks for suggesting.
Hey Dave, speaking of bombastic titles - didn't you yourself use the title "Crusade" reffering to Haydn cycle? Love you.
Yes, but that's not bombast--it's zealotry.
@@DavesClassicalGuide LOL.... Keep going, knight
Great to focus on Colin Davis. Great video about Davis.
Many thanks, Dave, for this informative review of this Colin Davis Beethoven box. I have known the concertos with Kovacevich for many years, but have never heard any of Davis's Symphonies, Overtures, or Masses. I'm definitely the poorer for this inadvertence. My question is: When will Universal/Eloquence reissue all of Davis's splendid Haydn recordings for Phillips? His was possible the best cycle of London Symphonies ever recorded.
I have no idea. It would be nice. I don't agree with you that Davis is "the best," but they are excellent generally and there's some very nice stuff beyond just the London Symphonies.
Along those lines, I would also love to see his Mozart symphonies with the BBC Symphony finally come out on CD.
@@nicholasjschlosser1724 Agreed. How about a Davis Mozart and Haydn box?
Re: the 9th, everything went right except Simon Estes' German pronunciation, for those of us more sensitive to such things.
Ok, I just ordered this, so you clearly sold me, but how the hell am I supposed to get this Szell Missa Solemnis. I've been his biggest fan for a quarter century. Take my money, just send me the damned disk. I still can't get over why the Cleveland Orchestra isn't doing more to "own label" issue some of this stuff. They put it in that anniversary box, but that was the first and last we saw of it.
Colin Davis always one of my very favorites. He "owns" Berlioz (at last his older recordings,e.g., his newer Requiem is nowhere near as good as the old one) - the way Rubinstein "owned" Chopin. I am listening to the 9th now, which I have not heard before, and it is indeed outstanding - likely to be my current favorite!
OMG - the 9th is beyond fabulous. Absolutely stunning - if you think you don't need another version of the 9th to listen to - think again!
Colin Davis, I would describe as a Marmite Conductor. If you ever tasted Marmite you know what I mean.
Vegemite maybe - not full of sugar.
I got to know and love the Beethoven 7 in the Davis- LSO recording in the 70s. I still think it is one of the most muscular and exciting performances on record- the finale is a knockout.