In 1959 I accidentally heard the young Colin Davis's emergence as a major conductor. I was in the Royal Festival Hall in London for what should have been Otto Klemperer's performance of Don Giovanni, with a starry cast: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Joan Sutherland, Graziella Sciutti, Giuseppe Taddei, Gottlob Frick. The Don was a fancied Austrian baritone: Eberhard Wächter.
But Klemperer fell ill. The impressario Walter Legge unsuccessfully tried to replace him with Carlo Maria Giulini. So the choice fell on Davis, who at 32 had fine Mozart credentials but was relatively inexperienced. The occasion was a resounding success – the basis of his great career. It was marred, however, by an angry incident. In one of Mozart's complex ensembles, conductor and Don momentarily parted company. It couldn't be said which musician was at fault. But Wächter, who was a bit of a swaggerer, did the unpardonable thing. He openly shook his fist at Davis. Professional musicians must cope with temperament. Davis appeared to bear it well.