Sir Charles Mackerras

Mackerras’ range of repertoire was astonishing, encompassing three centuries of music, and he left his mark on everything he touched. He was born to Australian parents in Schenectady, NY, in 1928; the family returned with him to Sydney two years later. After a spell as an orchestral oboist in Sydney, then at Sadler’s Wells (now English National Opera) in London, he won a scholarship to study conducting with the legendary Václav Talich in Prague, becoming fluent in Czech in the process. Returning to London, he became an energetic champion of historically informed performance long before it became fashionable. His groundbreaking recording of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749) restored the original wind-band scoring, and in 1965 he performed Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786) with vocal ornamentation, drawing praise from some and fury from others. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Mackerras did not disdain light classical music: His ballet Pineapple Poll (1951), based on music by Sullivan, was a huge success. Always meticulous in rehearsal, Mackerras brought a fresh approach to almost everything he touched. His greatest passion, however, was for the music of Janáček, whose operas he championed in the opera house and on record with a unique fusion of clarity and loving intensity. He died in London in 2010.