Sir Colin Davis

CD of the Week The New CD Show - Classic FM

Classical CD of the Week'[a] terrific disc ... The composer's Bohemian origins are to the fore in this rich reading of his Pastoral symphony: joyous, lyrical, atmospheric, like an autumn walk in a Bohemian wood' Sunday Times

'When Colin Davis and the LSO launched their own record label with recordings of Dvorák's last two symphonies, they won instant acclaim ... they now add a resplendent Sixth ... it blazes with Bohemian warmth and vivacity. The furiant scherzo, in particular, has both energy and subtlety, while the outer movements convey their respective pastoral and urbane qualities with an authentic Czech heart' Daily Telegraph

'Colin Davis's performance of the Sixth joins his excellent recordings of Dvorák's last three symphonies ... His attention to orchestral detail imparts an almost chamber-music feel that is entirely beneficial. His reading of the first movement is marvellously infectious ...There is a wealth of ravishing detail in the slow movement and the finale is magnificently structured' BBC Music Magazine

'this Sixth bespeaks the freshness of a new discovery ... Davis also brings numerous spontaneous sounding interpretive touches that I find very appealing ... the playing is extremely beautiful, with the solo winds obviously giving their all, the brass rich and robust, and internal balances really excellent ... buy with confidence. It's really exciting' ClassicsToday.com

'But what makes this disc of No 6 specially welcome is that it offers a performance of exceptional clarity: at the start the syncopated thumming on horns and violas has everynote sharply defined ... The clarity is mainly due to Davis's cleanly focused reading but is helped by the Barbican acoustic ... excellent value' Gramophone Magazine