Editing Colin Davis (section)

{{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.