Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Sir Colin Davis. CBS MK 42103 [The Creatures of Prometheus, The Ruins of Athens, Egmont, Coriolan, Leonore Nos. 1 and 3, and Fidelio] (released 1986)

Colin Davis presides over somewhat more reserved – one might almost say chaste – accounts of seven Beethoven overtures, though his readings are in no sense underpowered or lacking in point. In fact, Sir Colin gets the rhetoric exactly right, and the Bavarian orchestra turns in performances of splendid authority and bite. The sound is well balanced, with just about ideal weight and atmosphere, and the image detailed and spacious. – Ted Libbey, author of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection.