Death of Sir Charles Mackerras

[akiralx]

 Sadly he has passed away at 84. 

Not renowned as a Mahlerian I suppose but I think several of us have a very fine M6 he did a few years ago with the BBCPO.

[barry guerrero]

He also recorded a very good M5 with the Royal Liverpool, I believe. That was issued on Classics For Pleasure a few decades ago. Also, don't forget the "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" on Virgin Classics. That was fairly good also.

I once saw a big birthday concert bash for MacKerras with the S.F. Opera Orchestra (plus various vocal soloists). It was a while ago, so it much have been his 75 birthday. It was a really  good show.

[Russ Smiley]

Sadly he has passed away at 84. 

Not renowned as a Mahlerian I suppose but I think several of us have a very fine M6 he did a few years ago with the BBCPO.

Sad indeed, and that M6 is one of my prime choices.

[rf318]

Yes, sad. He was a great conductor. I have both his M5 and M6. His recordings of Janacek operas are outstanding. I believe I read that his mother was Czech.

[GL]

He was one among the few great living condutors. I'm just listening to his Dvorak, Janacek and Suk, but also to his Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Haendel, Brahms... You think to know very well a work, then you listen to one of his interpretations and you always discover something new, often exciting. And how better orchestras played when he was on the podium. Just compare the work of the Philharmonia with him (I'm thinking about Schubert's "Great" and Dvorak's Seventh and Eight) and what they do, for example, with Salonen.

Sadly, His Mahler legacy is small: the First, the Fifth, a wonderful Sixth (one among my reference recordings), the Wunderhorn on CDs and a Fourth with the Philharmonia that is available as download (it should have been released on CD on December 2009, but they preferred to release Salonen's weak Ninth). I regret that he did not record Mahler with the Czech Philharmonic and that he did not record enough Suk (when I saw that the Scherzo of Asrael was on schedule for the Czech Philharmonic concert celebrating Sir Charles 85's birthday, I hoped for somehting to come on CD).

For knowing something more about him through his own words:

http://www.classicstoday.com/features/f1_0200.asp

Regards,
Luca

[barry guerrero]

I can't think of one single thing that MacKerras did poorly, can you?

[GL]

I can't think of one single thing that MacKerras did poorly, can you?

NOP!

[vvrinc]

For me, as Barry mentioned in another thread, the Maestro's advocacy of Janacek—in concerts and recordings—will be among the greatest legacies left by any performer. He was a brilliant, decent and kind man, who also interpreted, most memorably for me, Mozart.

His passing leaves a large void in our condition.

[Michael]

I have a great recording of Haydn's "Farewell Symphony" No. 45 by Mackerras and the Orchestra of St. Luke's.  It's one of the best recordings of that work I have ever heard, particularly in the second and fourth movements.  The tenderness with which the musicians play as the orchestration thins out in the Finale is incredible.  It is helped by an excellent recording as well.