# Colin Davis’ Mozart Requiem on RCA



## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

This one is the one I’m talking about








I never hear anyone talk about this recording. People do talk about his live one with the LSO on their own label. The conducting is still amazing but the singers and choir are not up to par with this recording. I found it because of their recording of Dies Irae is on a compilation disc and it was so good that I had to look it up. But the whole performance is absolutely amazing. I have listened to many recordings of Mozart’s requiem but this is by far the most powerful choir and IMO the best singers. The orchestra is also on fire and the brass really shines through. It is also wonderfully conducted by Davis who is an incredible good Mozartian. It is also very well recorded. What more do you want? Let me know if you have ever heard this performance and what you think of it. If you haven’t, I invite you to listen to their amazing Dies Irae


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Colin Davis was a great Mozartian indeed, and I rank his recordings of Mozart's sacred music among the best. Try his recording of the C minor mass too, I believe it's on Philips.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

Iirc, this one was released early 1990s.
I read a few reviews back then, and the Communis Opinio was: not a bad recording at all, but most definitely not an improvement compared to Davis's 1967 recording with the John Alldis Choir & the BBC SO (Philips).
Personally, I agree(d) with that.

Some tempi are a bit different, but, overall, the idea/interpretation is the same.
To me, personally, the BBC/Philips recording has a few more plusses, too: the soprano (Helen Donath, who I prefer to Angela Maria Blasi) and a better balance among the 4 vocal parts in the choir.
Even though it has been ages since I last listened to it, the RCA recording is, balance-wise, at times not so kind to the female (chorus) voices/parts.
Apart from taht, I found the sound a bit thicker in the RCA recording. The Philips sound is lean and splendid (imho).

So, in the end, if I want to grab a Mozart/KV 626/Davis recording, I prefer to grab the older one.

Btw: Davis made three awesome choral recordings for Philips in the late 1960s: besides KV 626, he also recorded an awesome Messiah and a ditto "Große Messe" (KV 427), as mentioned by member RobertJTh.
Like the Requiem, he did a second Messiah with the Bavarian forces, too (mid 1980s), and actually, when I compare that one with the earlier one, I would also pick the 1960s recording, for almost the same reasons as I have mentioned in my Requiem comparison. (Instead here it's the alto, Helen Watts, who is in better shape than Hanna Schwarz.)


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

Marc said:


> Like the Requiem, he did a second Messiah with the Bavarian forces, too (mid 1980s), and actually, when I compare that one with the earlier one, I would also pick the 1960s recording, for almost the same reasons as I have mentioned in my Requiem comparison. (Instead here it's the alto, Helen Watts, who is in better shape than Hanna Schwarz.)


That late 60's Messiah was among my first LP purchases, and it's still among my favorite recordings of the work. I agree with you about the later recording; it's inferior in virtually every respect, except for the tenor solos (although Ryland Davies is fine on the earlier recording, he's no match for Stuart Burrows).


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

I guess I will have to listen to his earlier recording


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

EvaBaron said:


> I guess I will have to listen to his earlier recording


I bet it's going to be fun anway. 

Especially during my 'younger' years, I listened quite a lot to the Mozart recordings of both 'Sirs': Sir Neville Marriner and Sir Colin Davis. They were both instrumental in getting me hooked on _Wolfie_.
In Marriner's case, I thought that his later recordings were a small improvement when the church/vocal music was concerned, and with Davis I thought it was the other way around.

But there were never 'duds' among them, that's for sure. Their recordings are still a joy to listen to.


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