Vale Sir Colin Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013)

One of the great Maestro's of the last fifty or so years passed away on the 14th April, Sir Colin Davis. His contribution to music was extensive and he led the revival of somewhat under appreciated composers at the time including, perhaps most famously, that of Hector Berlioz and Jean Sibelius.

I've treasured many of his recordings for years, especially his Tosca, La Boheme, Werther, Les Troyens and Peter Grimes for the Phillips label, they've been in my collection since I was a teenager.

To observe his passing I thought to try something different and acquired his recording of Sir William Walton's First Symphony, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. It's a blistering account of a remarkable work where Sir Colin provides compelling evidence that this symphony is one of the twentieth century's best.  The cover certainly does the recording justice, I can totally recommend it.