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{{Short description|English conductor}}
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[[File:Colin Davis (1967).jpg|thumb|Davis in 1967]]
'''Sir Colin Rex Davis''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|CH|CBE}} (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom he was particularly associated were [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]], [[Edward Elgar|Elgar]], [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]], [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] and [[Michael Tippett|Tippett]].

Davis studied as a [[List of clarinetists|clarinetist]], but was intent on becoming a conductor. After struggling as a freelance conductor from 1949 to 1957, he gained a series of appointments with orchestras including the [[BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra|BBC Scottish Orchestra]], the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra]]. He also held the musical directorships of [[English National Opera|Sadler's Wells Opera]] and the [[Royal Opera House]], where he was principal conductor for over fifteen years. His guest conductorships included the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], the [[New York Philharmonic]] and the [[Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden|Staatskapelle Dresden]], among many others.

As a teacher, Davis held posts at the [[Royal Academy of Music]], London, and the [[Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber"|Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber"]] (preparatory school for music) in Dresden. He made his first gramophone recordings in 1958, and his discography over the next five decades was extensive, with many studio recordings for [[Philips Records]] and a substantial catalogue of live recordings for the London Symphony Orchestra's own label.

==Early years==
Davis was born in [[Weybridge]], Surrey, the fifth of seven children, to Reginald George Davis (a bank clerk) and Lillian Constance (Colbran) Davis.<ref>Blyth, p. 4</ref><ref name=who>[https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U13161 "Davis, Sir Colin (Rex)"], ''Who's Who, 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010</ref> The family was musical, and he was exposed to music from an early age. He recalled:

"I can still see [[Malcolm Sargent|Sargent]] conducting the first concert I ever attended. I can still hear [[Lauritz Melchior|Melchior]] in the final scene of ''[[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]'' – an old [[78rpm|78]] playing on my father's gramophone. … I can also remember the moment I decided to make music my life. I was 13 or 14 at the time and the performance was of [[Symphony No. 8 (Beethoven)|Beethoven's Eighth]]. Doors were suddenly opened. I became totally involved, even obsessed by music, although I was frightfully enclosed by my likes and dislikes. Today I'm game for anything."<ref>''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'', December 1967, p. 39</ref>

[[File:Real Colegio de Música, Londres, Inglaterra, 2022-11-25, DD 34.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Royal College of Music]], where Davis studied]]
With financial assistance from his great-uncle, Davis was educated at [[Christ's Hospital]] in Sussex<ref name=Grdn0413>{{cite news|last=Nice|first=David|title=Sir Colin Davis obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/14/sir-colin-davis-obituary|access-date=16 April 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=14 April 2013}}</ref> and then won a scholarship to the [[Royal College of Music]] in London, where he studied the [[clarinet]] with [[Frederick Thurston]].<ref>Blyth, pp. 6–8</ref> His fellow-students included [[Gervase de Peyer]], but Davis developed a greater interest in conducting. He was, however, not eligible for the conducting class at the college, because he could not play the piano.<ref>Blyth, p. 8</ref>

Following compulsory [[national service|military service]] and completing his studies at college, Davis served as a clarinettist in the band of the [[Life Guards (United Kingdom)|Life Guards]]. Stationed at [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]], he had continual opportunities to attend concerts in London under conductors including [[Thomas Beecham|Sir Thomas Beecham]] and [[Bruno Walter]]. In 1949, he began his career as a freelance musician (the "freelance wilderness", in his own phrase) where he remained until 1957.<ref name=who /> His first conducting work was with the Kalmar Orchestra, which he co-founded with other former students of the Royal College. He was subsequently invited to conduct the recently founded [[Chelsea Opera Group]] in ''[[Don Giovanni]]''. In the early years of his career, he also took some engagements as an orchestral clarinettist.<ref>Blyth, pp. 9–10</ref> What seemed at first to be a full-time conducting appointment, for the [[Original Ballet Russe]] in 1952, ended abruptly after three months, when the company collapsed. In between sparse conducting engagements, Davis worked as a coach and lecturer, including spells at the [[Cambridge University Musical Society]] and the [[Bryanston School|Bryanston]] Summer School, where a performance of ''[[L'enfance du Christ]]'' awakened his love of [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]]'s music.<ref>Blyth, p. 10</ref>

==BBC and Sadler's Wells==
His first breakthrough came in 1957 when, at his third attempt, he secured the post of assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Orchestra (now the [[BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra]]).<ref>{{cite web | author=Ivan Hewett | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/9993968/Sir-Colin-Davis-from-angry-young-firebrand-to-wise-elder-statesman.html | title=Sir Colin Davis: from angry young firebrand to wise elder statesman | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=15 April 2013 | access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> The chief conductor of the orchestra generally chose to conduct the standard repertoire pieces himself, and left Davis with modern works and non-standard repertoire works, including those of Berlioz.<ref>Blyth, p. 11</ref> By 1959, Davis had developed to the extent that, after a concert of [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] and [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] with the [[London Mozart Players]], the chief music critic of ''[[The Observer]]'', [[Peter Heyworth]], wrote:

: "Mr Davis conducted two works in a manner that showed that he is not only outstanding among our younger conductors, but probably the best we have produced since Sir Thomas Beecham, his senior by forty-eight years."<ref>Heyworth, Peter, "Best Since Beecham", ''The Observer'', 6 September 1959, p. 23</ref>

[[File:Glyndebourne 2.jpg|right|thumb|[[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne]], scene of one of Davis's early breakthroughs]]
Davis first found wide acclaim when he stood in for an ill [[Otto Klemperer]] in a performance of ''Don Giovanni'', at the [[Royal Festival Hall]] in 1959. A year later, Beecham invited him to collaborate with him in preparing ''[[The Magic Flute]]'' at [[Glyndebourne Festival Opera|Glyndebourne]]. Beecham was taken ill, and Davis conducted the opera. After the ''Don Giovanni'', ''[[The Times]]'' wrote, "A superb conductor of Mozart declared himself last night at the Festival Hall…. Mr Davis emerged as a conductor ripe for greatness."<ref>"Outstanding ''Don Giovanni'' under Mr. Colin Davis", ''The Times'', 19 October 1959, p. 6</ref> [[Neville Cardus]] in ''[[The Guardian]]'' was less enthusiastic but nevertheless considered that he "had his triumphs" in the performance.<ref>"[[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf|Schwarzkopf]] dominant in concert version of ''Don Giovanni''", ''The Guardian'', 20 October 1959, p. 7</ref> After ''The Magic Flute'', ''The Times'' called Davis "master of Mozart's idiom, style and significance",<ref>"Mozart Genius at its Peak", ''The Times'', 29 July 1960, p. 13</ref> although Heyworth in ''The Observer'' was disappointed by his tempi, judging them to be too slow.<ref>Heyworth, Peter. "Disenchanted Flute", ''The Observer'', 31 July 1960, p. 18</ref>

In 1960, Davis made his début at [[the Proms]] in a programme of [[Benjamin Britten|Britten]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], Mozart and Berlioz.<ref>''The Times'', 3 August 1960, p. 5</ref> In the same year, he was appointed chief conductor of [[English National Opera|Sadler's Wells Opera]], and in 1961 he was made musical director of the company, with whom he built up a large repertoire of operas, conducting in London and on tour.<ref>Blyth, p. 13</ref> ''[[Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' wrote of this period, "He excelled in ''[[Idomeneo]]'', ''[[The Rake's Progress]]'' and ''[[Oedipus rex (opera)|Oedipus rex]]'', and ''[[Fidelio]]''; his [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]], Verdi and [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]] were less successful. He introduced [[Kurt Weill|Weill]]'s ''[[Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny|Mahagonny]]'', and [[Ildebrando Pizzetti|Pizzetti]]'s ''[[Assassinio nella cattedrale]]'' to the British public and conducted the première of [[Richard Rodney Bennett|Bennett]]'s ''[[The Mines of Sulphur]]'' (1965)."<ref name=grove>[https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/07305?q=Colin+Davis&source=omo_epm&source=omo_t237&source=omo_gmo&source=omo_t114&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit "Colin Davis"], ''Grove's Dictionary'', Oxford Music Online. Retrieved 9 January 2009</ref> Together with the stage director [[Glen Byam Shaw]], he worked to present operas in a way that gave due weight to the drama as well as the music.<ref name=blyth21>Blyth, p. 21</ref> In his early years, Davis was known as something of a firebrand with a short fuse in rehearsals,<ref>{{cite web | author=Rupert Christiansen | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/9994402/Sir-Colin-Davis-and-his-stormy-career-in-opera.html | title=Sir Colin Davis and his stormy career in opera | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=15 April 2013 | access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> and his departure from Sadler's Wells in 1965 was not without acrimony.<ref name=naxos />

After he left Sadler's Wells, and being passed over as principal conductor of the [[London Symphony Orchestra]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9994121/Sir-Colin-Davis.html | title=Sir Colin Davis | work=The Daily Telegraph | date=15 April 2013 | access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> Davis was named chief conductor of the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] (BBC SO), effective September 1967.<ref name=orga158>Orga, p. 158</ref> At first, in the general view of the public, his tenure was overshadowed, at least during [[the Proms]], by the memory of [[Malcolm Sargent|Sir Malcolm Sargent]]. Compared to the "suave father figure" image of Sargent<ref name=cox>Cox, p. 192</ref> to the promenaders, it took some time for the much younger Davis to be accepted.<ref name=orga158 /> The BBC's official historian of the Proms later wrote, "Davis never really identified himself with the Proms in the way that Sargent had done.<ref name=cox /> Davis was uncomfortable with the traditional hullabaloo of the Last Night of the Proms and attempted, unsuccessfully, to modernise it.<ref>Orga, p. 166</ref> The BBC's Controller of Music, [[William Glock]], was a long-standing admirer of Davis, and encouraged him to put on adventurous programmes, with a new emphasis on modern music, both at the Proms and throughout the rest of the orchestra's annual schedule.<ref>Blyth, p. 16</ref>  Following his tenure as BBC SO chief conductor, Davis served as chief guest conductor of the BBC SO from 1971 to 1976.<ref>Kenyon, Nicholas, ''The BBC Symphony Orchestra: The first fifty years, 1930-1980''.  British Broadcasting Corporation (ISBN 0 563 17617 2), p. 441 (1981).</ref>

==Covent Garden==
In 1970, [[David Webster (opera manager)|Sir David Webster]], who ran the [[The Royal Opera|Royal Opera]] and the [[The Royal Ballet|Royal Ballet]] companies at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]], invited Davis to succeed [[Georg Solti|Sir Georg Solti]] as principal conductor of the opera.<ref name="haltrechtB">Haltrecht, p. 101</ref> At about the same time, the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] invited him to become its musical director, but Davis felt that if Covent Garden needed him, it was his duty to take on the post.<ref name=blyth21 /> Webster's vision was that Davis and the stage director [[Peter Hall (director)|Sir Peter Hall]], formerly of the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]], would work in equal partnership as musical director and director of productions. After early successes together, including the première of [[Michael Tippett]]'s ''[[The Knot Garden]]'' in December 1970, Hall left to succeed [[Laurence Olivier]] as director of the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]. Webster had retired by that time, leaving Davis, together with Webster's successor as General Administrator, [[John Tooley|Sir John Tooley]], to run the Royal Opera.<ref name=haltrechtB>Haltrecht, p. 101</ref>

[[File:Royal Opera House.JPG|thumb|left|upright|The [[Royal Opera House]], Covent Garden, where Davis was musical director between 1970 and 1986]]
Davis' early months in charge at Covent Garden were marked by dissatisfaction among some of the audience, and booing was heard at a "disastrous" ''[[Nabucco]]'' in 1972. His conducting of Wagner's ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring]]'' cycle was at first compared unfavourably with that of his predecessor.<ref name=canning /> Among his successes were Berlioz's massive ''[[Les Troyens]]'' (with [[Jon Vickers]] and [[Anja Silja]]) and ''[[Benvenuto Cellini (opera)|Benvenuto Cellini]]'', Verdi's ''[[Falstaff (opera)|Falstaff]]'', the major Mozart operas, and, as one critic put it, he "confirmed his preeminence as a Britten and Stravinsky interpreter" with productions of ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' and ''[[The Rake's Progress]]''.<ref name=canning /> Davis conducted more than 30 operas during his fifteen-year tenure,<ref name=grove /> but "since people like [[Lorin Maazel|Maazel]], [[Claudio Abbado|Abbado]] and [[Riccardo Muti|Muti]] would only come for new productions", Davis yielded the baton to these foreign conductors, giving up the chance to conduct several major operas, including ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'', ''[[Rigoletto]]'' and ''[[Aida]]''.<ref name=canning />

In addition to the standard operatic repertoire, Davis conducted a number of modern and unfamiliar operas, including Tippett's ''The Knot Garden'' and ''[[The Ice Break]]'' (of which he is the dedicatee),<ref name=grove /> and [[Alexander Zemlinsky]]'s ''[[Der Zwerg|The Dwarf]]'' and ''[[Eine florentinische Tragödie]]''.<ref>Royal Opera House programme booklets for 30 September 1983, 3 April 1970, 2 December 1970, 6 December 1972, 11 July 1977 and 7 October 1985</ref> With later stage directors at Covent Garden, Davis preferred to work with those who respected the [[libretto]]: "I have a hankering for producers who don't feel jealous of composers for being better than they are, and want to impose their, often admittedly clever, ideas on the work in hand."<ref>''Gramophone'', July 1981, p. 23</ref> Davis hoped that [[Götz Friedrich]], with whom he worked on Wagner's ''Ring'' cycle, would take on the role of principal producer vacated by Hall, "but it seemed that nobody wanted to commit themselves."<ref name=canning>Canning, Hugh. "Forget the booing, remember the triumph", ''The Guardian'', 19 July 1986, p. 11</ref>

During his Covent Garden tenure, Davis returned to the BBC Symphony Orchestra as principal guest conductor from 1971 to 1975, and held the same post with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1972 to 1984.<ref name=who /> In 1977, he became the first English conductor to appear at [[Bayreuth Festival|Bayreuth]], where he conducted the opening opera of the festival, ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]''. Despite the Bayreuth habitués' suspicion of newcomers,<ref>26 July 1977, p. 9</ref> his ''Tannhäuser'' was "highly successful".<ref>''The Times'', 25 July 1977, p. 9; and 26 July 1977, p. 9</ref> He debuted at the [[Metropolitan Opera]], New York City, in 1967 with ''[[Peter Grimes]]'', the [[Vienna State Opera]] in 1986 and the [[Bavarian State Opera]] in 1994.<ref name=who />

==Bavarian Radio Symphony and London Symphony Orchestras==
From 1983 to 1993, Davis was chief conductor of the [[Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra]], with whom he developed his concert hall repertoire, including symphonies by [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]] and [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]].<ref name=naxos>[https://www.naxos.com/conductorinfo/Colin_Davis/32276.htm "Davis, Colin"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622104035/https://www.naxos.com/conductorinfo/Colin_Davis/32276.htm |date=22 June 2009 }}, Naxos.com. Retrieved 10 January 2010</ref> He was offered but declined the music directorships of the [[Cleveland Orchestra]] in succession to Maazel and the [[New York Philharmonic]] in succession to [[Zubin Mehta]].<ref>Morrison, p. 217.</ref> As a principal guest conductor he was associated with the [[Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden|Dresden Staatskapelle]], which appointed him honorary conductor (''Ehrendirigent'') in 1990, the first in the orchestra's 460-year-history,<ref name=lennox /> and whose musicians referred to Davis with the nickname "Der Sir".<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.staatskapelle-dresden.de/en/news/article/die-saechsische-staatskapelle-dresden-trauert-um-ihren-ehrendirigenten-sir-colin-davis/56180/ | title=The Staatskapelle Dresden mourns the death of its Conductor Laureate, Sir Colin Davis | publisher=Staatskapelle Dresden | date=16 April 2013 | access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> From 1998 to 2003, he was principal guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic.<ref name=who />

In 1995, Davis was appointed principal conductor of the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], the culmination of a long association with the orchestra. He had first conducted the LSO in 1959, and in 1964 he headed the orchestra's first world tour. He became principal guest conductor in 1975 and was at the helm in the LSO's first major series at its new home, the [[Barbican Centre]], in a Berlioz/Tippett festival in 1983.<ref name=lennox>Mackenzie, Lennox, [http://lso.co.uk/home/sir-colin-davis-50th-anniversary "50 years with Sir Colin Davis"], LSO.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130070740/http://lso.co.uk/home/sir-colin-davis-50th-anniversary |date=30 November 2009 }}</ref> In 1997 he conducted the LSO's first residency at [[Lincoln Center]] in New York City.<ref name=lennox /> Davis was the longest-serving principal conductor in the history of the LSO, holding the post from 1995 until 2006, after which the orchestra appointed him its President, an honour previously held only by [[Arthur Bliss]], [[William Walton]], [[Karl Böhm]] and [[Leonard Bernstein]].<ref>LSO concert programme booklet, 9 January 2007</ref> On 21 June 2009, 50 years to the day after his first LSO performance, a special concert was given at the Barbican, at which present-day players were joined by many past members of the orchestra.<ref name=lennox /> His programme for the concert was Mozart's [[Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)|Symphony No 40]] in G minor, and Brahms's [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Brahms)|Piano Concerto No 2]], with [[Nelson Freire]] as soloist.<ref>LSO concert programme booklet, 21 June 2009</ref>

During his time with the LSO, both as principal conductor and later as president, Davis conducted series and cycles of the music of Sibelius, Berlioz, Bruckner, Mozart, Elgar, Beethoven, and Brahms,<ref name=lennox /> and in 2009 began presenting a cycle of the symphonies of [[Carl Nielsen]].<ref>LSO concert programme note, 1 October 2009</ref> ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' wrote:

: "He conducted a Sibelius cycle in 1992 and a concert performance of ''Les Troyens'' the following year, both of which have become the stuff of legend. More recently he has added grand performances of Bruckner, [[Richard Strauss]] and Elgar, the première of Tippett's last major work, ''The Rose Lake'' (1995), and a Berlioz cycle begun with ''Benvenuto Cellini'' in 1999 and crowned by an incandescent ''Les Troyens'' in December 2000, all confirming his partnership with the LSO as one of the most important of its time."<ref name=grove />

==Teacher==
Davis was president of the [[Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber"|Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber"]] in Dresden,<ref>{{cite web| title=Schirmherr: Sir Colin Davis| url=http://www.landesmusikgymnasium.de/index.php?id=58| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222214249/http://www.landesmusikgymnasium.de/index.php?id=58| archive-date=22 December 2008| df=dmy-all}} accessed 30 October 2011</ref> and held the International Chair of Orchestral Studies at the [[Royal Academy of Music]], London.<ref>[http://www.ram.ac.uk/about-us/news/sir-colin-davis-and-robin-ticciati "Colin Davis Fellowship"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915220727/http://www.ram.ac.uk/about-us/news/sir-colin-davis-and-robin-ticciati |date=15 September 2015 }}, Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 10 January 2017</ref> [[Jonathan Freeman-Attwood]], principal of the academy, wrote of Davis:

: "As the Academy's International Chair of Conducting over 25 years, Sir Colin helmed six opera productions and over sixty concerts, classes and chamber music projects. Such extraordinary generosity from a major international conductor is surely unique. He inspired a whole generation here, as did [[Henry Wood]] and [[John Barbirolli]] before him."<ref name=lennox />

==Recordings==
Davis's discography is extensive, numbering over 300 recordings. He made his first record in 1958 conducting the [[Sinfonia of London]] in performances of [[Mozart]]'s Symphonies 29 and 39 for [[World Record Club]] (TZ 130).<ref>TZ 130 cover notes</ref> This was followed on 8 May 1959 by a recording made in [[Kingsway Hall]], London, for [[Decca Records|Decca]] with the New Symphony Orchestra of London and pianist [[Peter Katin]] performing [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninov]]'s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18.  He made several records for the small independent label [[Éditions de l'Oiseau-Lyre|L'Oiseau Lyre]], including a 1960 ''[[L'enfance du Christ]]'' and a 1962 ''[[Béatrice et Bénédict]]'' which, at April 2013, were both still available on CD. For [[EMI]] he made both operatic and orchestral recordings, the former with Sadler's Wells forces, including excerpts from ''[[Carmen]]'' and a complete ''[[Oedipus rex (opera)|Oedipus rex]]'', and the latter including ''[[Harold in Italy]]'' with [[Yehudi Menuhin]], and what remains one of his best-known recordings, a 1961 Beethoven [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|Seventh Symphony]].<ref>"Discography", Blyth, pp. 60–61</ref><ref>''Gramophone'', February 1996, p. 8</ref>

===Philips and RCA===
In the 1960s, Davis signed as an exclusive artist for [[Philips Records]], with whom he made an extensive range of recordings in the symphonic repertoire and many operatic recordings, including the major Mozart operas; operas by Tippett, Britten, Verdi and Puccini; and a comprehensive survey of the operas of Berlioz, culminating in an award-winning first recording of the complete ''Les Troyens'' issued in May 1970.<ref name=naxos /><ref>''Gramophone'', May 1970, p. 84</ref>

Davis's 1966 Philips recording of Handel's ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'' was regarded as revelatory at the time of its issue for its departure from the large-scale Victorian-style performances that had previously been customary.<ref>''Gramophone'', November 1966, p. 77. It was produced by Mercury Records' Harold Lawrence and recorded by Philips engineer Hans Lauterslager using the Mercury 3-spaced-omni mic technique, called "M3" by Philips. See Lauterslager, Hans: presentation at Audio Engineering Society Amsterdam 2008 Historical Event. Presentation included listing of Philips M3 recording sessions. The recording was reissued on CD by Philips in the 1990s as a 2-CD set in the "Duo" series.</ref> Other Philips recordings included a 1982 set of [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]]'s twelve [[London symphonies]] with the [[Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra]] "distinguished by performances of tremendous style and authority, and a sense of rhythmic impetus that is most exhilarating";<ref>''Gramophone'', June 1982, p. 33</ref> and a 1995 Beethoven symphony cycle with the Dresden Staatskapelle, of which ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'' wrote, "There has not been a Beethoven cycle like this since [[Otto Klemperer|Klemperer's]] heyday."<ref>''Gramophone'', December 1995, p. 75</ref>

Davis made a number of records with the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] for Philips, including the first of his three Sibelius cycles, which remains in the CD catalogues. They also recorded works by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]], [[Edvard Grieg|Grieg]], [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]], [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], and [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]].

For [[RCA Victor Red Seal]], Davis recorded complete symphony cycles of Sibelius (with the LSO), Brahms (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, 1989–98), and Schubert (Dresden Staatskapelle, 1996).

===LSO Live===
[[File:Sir Colin Davis.jpg|thumb|upright|Davis in 2007]]
Davis's term as principal conductor of the LSO coincided with the orchestra's decision to launch its own record label, LSO Live. Davis' recordings on the LSO Live label include [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s opera ''[[Fidelio]]'' (2006), a wide range of [[Hector Berlioz|Berlioz]] works, including a second recording of ''[[Les Troyens]]'' (2000), ''[[La damnation de Faust]]'' (2000), ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' (2000), ''[[Béatrice et Bénédict]]'' (2000), ''[[Harold en Italie]]'' (2003), and the ''[[Symphonie fantastique]]'' (2000); [[Benjamin Britten|Britten]]'s ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' (2004); [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]]'s Symphonies Nos. 6–9 (1999–2004); five [[Edward Elgar|Elgar]] sets: the ''[[Enigma Variations]]'' (2007) and the ''[[Introduction and Allegro (Elgar)|Introduction and Allegro for Strings]]'' (2005), the three symphonies (2001), and ''[[The Dream of Gerontius]]'' (2005); Handel's ''Messiah'' (2006); Haydn's ''[[Die Schöpfung]]'' (2007); [[Gustav Holst|Holst]]'s ''[[The Planets]]'' (2002); [[James MacMillan]]'s ''St John Passion'', (2008) ''The World's Ransoming'' and ''[[The Confession of Isobel Gowdie]]'' (2007); [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s Requiem (2007); [[Carl Nielsen|Nielsen]]'s Symphonies Nos. 4–5 (2011); a third [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]] symphony cycle (2002–2008); [[Bedřich Smetana|Smetana]]'s ''[[Má vlast]]'' (2005); [[Michael Tippett|Tippett]]'s ''[[A Child of Our Time]]'' (2007), [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]]'s ''[[Falstaff (opera)|Falstaff]]'' (2004), [[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]] (2009), and ''[[Otello]]'' (2010); and [[William Walton|Walton]]'s [[Symphony No. 1 (Walton)|First Symphony]] (2005).

==Awards==
Davis was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] in 1965,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=43529 |supp=y|page=10|date=29 December 1964}}</ref> [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in 1980<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=48059 |supp=y|page=288|date=7 January 1980}} accessed 15 September 2009</ref> and appointed [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]] in 2001.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=56237 |supp=y|page=5|date=16 June 2001}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]'s gold medal in 1995,<ref name=who /> [[the Queen's Medal for Music]], 2009,<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2009/AnnouncementoftherecipientofTheQueensMedalforMusic.aspx The Official Website of the British Monarchy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512042015/https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2009/AnnouncementoftherecipientofTheQueensMedalforMusic.aspx |date=12 May 2021 }}. Retrieved 11 January 2010</ref> and has numerous international awards, including [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic|Commendatore of the Republic of Italy]], 1976; [[Shakespeare Prize]] (Germany), 1984; Commander's Cross, [[Federal Cross of Merit|Order of Merit]] (Germany), 1987; Commandeur, l'[[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]] (France), 1990; Commander, [[Order of the Lion of Finland|Order of the Lion]] (Finland), 1992; [[Bavarian Order of Merit|Order of Merit]] (Bavaria), 1993; Officier, [[Légion d'honneur]] (France), 1999 (Chevalier, 1982); Order of Maximilian (Bavaria), 2000.<ref name=who />

Other awards include [[Pipe Smoker of the Year]] in 1996,<ref name=norris>[[Geoffrey Norris|Norris, Geoffrey]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20111106063314/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/geoffreynorris/3673375/Sir-Colin-Davis-Knit-one-purl-one-conduct-one.html "Sir Colin Davis: Knit one, purl one, conduct one"], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 15 May 2008</ref> [[Male Artist of the Year]] in the [[Classic Brit Awards]] 2008,<ref name=norris />  the [[Grammy Award]] in 2006 for Best Opera for his LSO Live recording of Verdi's ''Falstaff'',<ref name=lennox /> and the [[Elgar Medal]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elgar Society Awards |publisher=[[Elgar Society]] |access-date=2 June 2021 |url=https://elgarsociety.org/elgar-society-awards/ |archive-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407095236/https://elgarsociety.org/elgar-society-awards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He won a total of 10 [[Grammy Awards]] and 34 nominations during his career.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Colin Davis {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://grammy.com/artists/colin-davis/12319 |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=grammy.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1949, Davis married the soprano [[April Cantelo]]. They had two children. Their marriage ended in 1964, and in that same year, Davis married Ashraf Naini, known as Shamsi.<ref name=Grdn0413/> To satisfy both the Iranian and British authorities, the couple were married three times, once in Iran and twice in the UK, in the Iranian Embassy in London as well as in a UK civil ceremony; they had five children.<ref>O'Mahony, John. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/sep/21/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures "Calm after the storm"], ''The Guardian'', 21 September 2002</ref> One of their children is the conductor [[Joseph Wolfe]], who chose a different surname, because he wanted to "create some space to grow and develop my own identity as a musician".<ref>[http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_features.php?id=4295 "Joseph Wolfe"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623180027/http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_features.php?id=4295 |date=23 June 2016 }}' Classical Source. Retrieved 29 January 2012</ref>

Shamsi died in June 2010 at the time Davis was conducting Mozart's ''[[The Marriage of Figaro]]'' at the Royal Opera House. Davis continued the run of performances just days later and when asked, the following year, how he had the strength to perform, he replied:

:It comes from the music. There is so much negative nonsense talked about Mozart, but he is – well, he's life itself.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/12/sir-colin-davis | title=Sir Colin Davis: 'You are of no account whatsoever' | work=The Guardian | author=Tom Service | date=2011-05-12 | access-date=2021-04-16}}</ref>

===Illness and death===
After his wife's death, Davis's health declined rapidly. He fell from the podium at Covent Garden in February 2011, and cancelled many engagements in the subsequent months. His last concert in France was on 7 June 2012 at the [[Théâtre des Champs-Elysées]] in Paris with the [[Orchestre National de France]] and [[Emanuel Ax]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.francemusique.fr/emissions/les-jeudis-du-national/beethoven-et-dvorak-par-emanuel-ax-piano-et-l-orchestre-national-de-france-diriges-par-colin-davis-18101 | title=Beethoven et Dvorak par Emanuel Ax, piano, et l'Orchestre National de France dirigés par Colin Davis | work=France Musique | author= | date=2014-10-23 | access-date=2021-04-16}}</ref> His last concert with the LSO was a performance of [[Berlioz]]'s ''[[Requiem (Berlioz)|Grande Messe des morts]]'' on 26 June 2012 at [[Saint Paul's Cathedral]] in London.<ref name=Grdn0413/><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2013/04/15/le-chef-d-orchestre-colin-davis-est-mort_3160126_3246.html | title="Colin Davis, le charme britannique à la baguette" (Le chef d'orchestre est mort à Londres, dimanche 14 avril, à l'âge de 85 ans. Il dirigeait avec un subtil alliage d'élégance et de mystique rêveuse | work=Le Monde | author=Marie-Aude Roux | date=2013-04-16 | access-date=2021-04-16}}</ref>  His last known performance was with the Haydn Chamber Orchestra, an amateur London orchestra, and soloist Thomas Gould, a month before his death.<ref>{{cite web | author=Greg Cahill | url=http://www.allthingsstrings.com/News/News/Sir-Colin-Davis-1927-2013 | title=Sir Colin Davis, 1927–2013 | work=Strings | date=15 April 2013 | access-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> On 14 April 2013, Davis died in London at the age of 85.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://lso.co.uk/more/news/123-sir-colin-davis-1927-2013.html | title=Obituary: Sir Colin Davis (1927–2013) | publisher=London Symphony Orchestra | date=14 April 2013 | access-date=2021-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sir-colin-davis-british-conductor-dies-at-85/ | work=The New York Times | access-date=2013-04-15 | date=2013-04-14 | title=Sir Colin Davis, British Conductor, Dies at 85 | first=Michael | last=Schwirtz}}</ref>

[[Antonio Pappano]], music director at the [[Royal Opera House]], said Davis's death came as a "huge blow".<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22148334 | title = Conductor Sir Colin Davis dies|work=BBC News| access-date = 15 April 2013 | date = 14 April 2013}}</ref> Labour MP [[Harriet Harman]] [[Twitter|tweeted]] that Davis had "made a historic contribution to music – in this country & worldwide", while [[Borjan Canev]], former assistant conductor to Davis, said "thank you for being my inspiration".<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-symphony-orchestra-president-sir-colin-davis-dies-aged-85-8572793.html | title=London Symphony Orchestra president Sir Colin Davis dies, aged 85 | work=London Evening Standard | access-date=15 April 2013 | date=15 April 2013}}</ref>

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}

;Sources
* {{cite book | last= Blyth | first= Alan|author-link=Alan Blyth|year= 1972| title= Colin Davis | location= London | publisher= Ian Allan | oclc=675416}}
* {{cite book | last= Cox | first= David | year= 1980| title= The Henry Wood Proms | location= London | publisher= BBC | isbn=0-563-17697-0}}
* {{cite book | last= Haltrecht | first= Montague | year= 1975 | title= The Quiet Showman: Sir David Webster and the Royal Opera House | location= London | publisher= Collins | isbn= 0-00-211163-2 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/quietshowmansird00halt }}
* {{cite book | last= Morrison | first= Richard | year= 2004| title= Orchestra – The LSO: A Century of Triumph and Turbulence | location= London | publisher= Faber and Faber | isbn= 978-0571215843}}
* {{cite book | last= Orga | first= Ateş | year=1974 | title= The Proms| location=Newton Abbot | publisher=David and Charles | isbn= 9780715370858 | oclc=1121308 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Colin Davis}}
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=q8172}}
* {{Discogs artist|Sir Colin Davis|Colin Davis}}
* {{IMDb name|0204392}}
* Morrison, Richard. [http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:UKNB:LTIB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=11BCE16957E4A360&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=102CDD40F14C6BDA "Monarch of all he's survived"], Profile of Davis at 80 – ''[[The Times]]'', 21 September 2007
* [http://www.hberlioz.com/champions/davise.htm The Hector Berlioz Website, page on Sir Colin Davis]
* [http://www.hberlioz.com/music/CDavis.htm The Hector Berlioz Website, page on discography of Sir Colin Davis, compiled by Malcolm Walker and Brian Godfrey]

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{{succession box | title=[[English National Opera|Music Director, Sadler's Wells]] | before=[[Alexander Gibson (conductor)|Alexander Gibson]]| years=1961–1965 | after=[[Bryan Balkwill]] and [[Mario Bernardi]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Royal Opera House|Music Director, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden]] | before=[[Georg Solti]] | years=1971–1987 | after=[[Bernard Haitink]]}}
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{{BBCSO conductors}}
{{Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra Chief Conductors}}
{{LSO principal conductors}}
{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}
{{Queen's Medal for Music}}

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