Originally planned as an 85th birthday tribute, this set documents over 3 decades of exceptional artistry by Sir Colin Davis, one of the musical pillars of the Philips label (now part of Decca Classics), who died on Sunday 14th April 2013. He was a musician of incomparable integrity and class.

After signing to Philips exclusively in the mid-1960s, he then produced work for the label of the highest quality and range for over more than three decades:-
•    the first (and still greatest) Berlioz cycle
•    pioneering Tippett
•    superb Haydn and Mozart
•    plus top-ranking Sibelius, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Dvorak and Britten, and much else

His many recording orchestras included the English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, Royal Opera House, Royal Concertgebouw, Boston Symphony, Bavarian Radio and Dresden Staatskapelle, as well as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics.

His great Philips collaborators on disc include Stephen Kovacevich,  Kiri Te Kanawa, Jon Vickers,  José Carreras, Jessye Norman, Arthur Grumiaux and Claudio Arrau.

An extraordinary number of his recordings have achieved legendary status and are enduring staples of the catalogue.  This set balances all his most important musical spheres, as well as many of his most important artistic relationships with soloists, orchestras and opera houses around the world.

The booklet notes are in English, French and German with an excellent appreciation of his work for Philips by Jeremy Hayes. 

Contents:
CD 1
- Bartók: Piano Concerto No.1 BB91, Sz.83
- Bartók: Piano Concerto No.2 BB101, Sz.95
- Bartók: Piano Concerto No.3 BB127, Sz.119
Stephen Kovachevich (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 2
- Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67
- Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, Op.73 - "Emperor"
Claudio Arrau (piano)
Staatskapelle Dresden

CD 3
- Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique, Op.14
- Mussorgsky: A Night On The Bare Mountain
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

CD 4
- Berlioz: Requiem Op.5 (Grande Messe des Morts)
Wandsworth School Boys' Choir; London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

CD 5
- Berlioz: Requiem Op.5 (continued)
- Berlioz: Te Deum, Op.22
Ronald Dowd (tenor)
Wandsworth School Boys' Choir / London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

CD 6
- Dvorák: Symphony No.7 in D minor, Op.70
- Dvorák: Symphony No.9 in E minor, Op.95 - "From the New World"
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

CD 7
- Elgar: Variations on an Original Theme, Op.36 - "Enigma"
- Holst: The Planets, Op.132
London Symphony Orchestra / Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 8
- Haydn: Symphony in G, Hob.I/94 - "Surprise"
- Haydn: Symphony in D, Hob.I/101 - "The Clock"
- Haydn: Symphony in D, Hob.I/104 - "London"
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

CD 9
- Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Op.132
- Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
- Stravinsky: Symphony in 3 Movements
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

CD 10
- Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Jessye Norman (soprano), Jon Vickers (tenor)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 11
- Mozart: Symphony No.25 in G minor, K183
- Mozart: Symphony No.32 in G, K318 (Overture in G)
- Mozart: Piano Concerto No.15 in B flat, K450
- Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G minor, K550
Ingrid Haebler (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra

CD 12
- Mozart: Vesperae solenns de confessore in C, K339
- Mozart: Kyrie in D minor, K341
- Mozart: Ave verum corpus, K618
- Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate, K165
- Mozart: Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (Zaide, K344 / Act I)
- Mozart: Ach, ich fühl's (Die Zauberflöte, K620 / Act II)
- Mozart: Ei parte... Per pietà, ben mio (Così fan tutte, K588 / Act II)
Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Elizabeth Bainbridge (mezzo-soprano), Ryland Davies (tenor), Gwynne Howell (bass)
London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

CD 13
- Sibelius: Symphony No.1 in E minor, Op.39
- Sibelius: Finlandia, Op.26
- Sibelius: Pohjolas Daughter, Op.49
- Sibelius: Tapiola, Op.112
Boston Symphony Orchestra

CD 14
- Tippett: The Knot Garden
Raimund Herincx (baritone), Yvonne Minton (mezzo-soprano), Jill Gomez (soprano), Josephine Barstow (soprano), Robert Tear (tenor), Thomas Carey (bass-baritone), Thomas Hemsley (baritone)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CD 15
- Stravinsky: The Firebird - Ballet (1910)
- Stravinsky: Orpheus - Ballet in 3 Scenes
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / London Symphony Orchestra