Charles Mackerras facts for kids

Sir Charles Mackerras in 2005

Sir Charles Mackerras (born November 17, 1925 – died July 14, 2010) was a famous Australian conductor. He was known for his amazing work with operas by Janáček and Mozart. He also loved the funny operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Mackerras worked for a long time with the English National Opera and the Welsh National Opera. He was also the first Australian chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He was very good at conducting Czech music and made many recordings for a Czech music company called Supraphon.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Mackerras was born in Schenectady, New York, USA. His parents were Australian. His father was an engineer and his mother loved culture and music. In 1928, when Charles was two, his family moved back to Sydney, Australia. They lived in Rose Bay and later in Turramurra.

Charles was the oldest of seven children. His family was very musical. He started playing the violin at age seven and later learned the flute. He even wrote music for poems when he was eight and a piano concerto (a big piece for piano and orchestra) when he was 12!

Mackerras went to Sydney Grammar School and St Aloysius College. He was so talented that he composed operas and conducted student shows when he was a teenager. He also acted in school plays, like Gilbert and Sullivan productions.

His parents were not sure if music was a good career, so they sent him to The King's School. But Charles loved music more than sports and discipline, so he ran away a few times and was eventually asked to leave. At 16, he studied oboe, piano, and how to compose music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He also earned money by writing orchestral scores from recordings.

Starting His Career

By 1941, Charles Mackerras started getting professional music jobs in Sydney. He was young, so he wasn't called to join the military like older musicians during the war. From 1941 to 1942, he played the oboe for the J. C. Williamson Company during their Gilbert and Sullivan shows. He also played piano for a ballet company.

In 1943, Mackerras joined the ABC Sydney Orchestra as the second oboist. By age 19, he became the main oboist! In 1947, he sailed to England to become a conductor. He joined Sadler's Wells Theatre as an oboe player. He then won a scholarship to study conducting in Prague, where he became good friends with a famous oboe player, Jiří Tancibudek. Jiří introduced him to the operas of Leoš Janáček, which became a lifelong passion for Mackerras.

In 1947, Mackerras married Judy Wilkins, who was a clarinet player. They had two daughters, Fiona and Catherine.

When he returned to England in 1948, Mackerras became an assistant conductor at Sadler's Wells. This started his long connection with the Sadler's Wells Opera, which is now called the English National Opera. He conducted works by famous composers like Janáček, Handel, and Mozart.

In the 1950s, Mackerras became very interested in playing music the way it would have sounded when it was first written. He even recorded Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1959 using the original instruments. He also added special musical decorations to his 1965 performance of The Marriage of Figaro, just like Mozart would have expected.

Mackerras was also a big supporter of Janáček's music outside of Czechoslovakia. He felt that his work with Janáček was his most important contribution to music. In 1951, he conducted the first British performance of Káťa Kabanová. He also loved the operas of Mozart and Sir Arthur Sullivan.

He created a ballet called Pineapple Poll using Sullivan's music. It premiered in 1951 and is still a popular light music piece today. He also arranged music by Giuseppe Verdi for another ballet called The Lady and the Fool.

From 1954 to 1956, he was the main conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra. In 1963, he made his first appearance at London's Covent Garden, conducting Shostakovich's Katerina Izmailova. He led the Hamburg State Opera from 1965 to 1969 and the English National Opera from 1970 to 1977. In 1972, he made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

In 1973, he conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the opening concert of the Sydney Opera House, with Queen Elizabeth II watching!

Later Career and Achievements

Mackerras conducted several Gilbert and Sullivan shows for the English National Opera. In 1975, he was a guest conductor for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company during their 100th anniversary season. In 1976, he conducted Patience at the Proms, which was the first full Gilbert and Sullivan opera played there.

In 1980, he became the first non-British person to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the famous Last Night of the Proms.

From 1982 to 1985, Mackerras was the chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, making him the first Australian to hold this important position. He also directed the Welsh National Opera from 1987 to 1992, where his Janáček productions were highly praised.

A special moment in 1991 was when he conducted a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the reopening of the Estates Theatre in Prague. This was where the opera first premiered, and it marked 200 years since Mozart's death.

Mackerras continued to conduct many famous orchestras around the world. He was the main guest conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 1992 to 1995 and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from 1993 to 1996. He also worked with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and was named their Emeritus Conductor in 2007.

In 2004, he became the main guest conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra. He also worked with the Czech Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, conducting many different operas.

In 2008, Mackerras was named the Honorary President of the Edinburgh International Festival Society. He was only the second person to have this role, after Yehudi Menuhin. He had performed at the Edinburgh International Festival for six decades!

Mackerras was also the President of Trinity College of Music in London and supported a children's cancer charity called Redkite. His last public performance was conducting Così fan tutte at Glyndebourne in 2010.

Death

Sir Charles Mackerras passed away in London on July 14, 2010, at the age of 84, after battling cancer. Even during his illness, he continued to conduct. He was scheduled to conduct two more concerts at the BBC Proms and a Mozart opera at the Edinburgh International Festival.

The director of the BBC Proms, Roger Wright, said that Sir Charles was a "great conductor" and that his loss would be deeply felt. Rory Jeffes of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra said that Australia had "lost a living treasure." Mackerras was survived by his wife, Judy, and their daughter, Catherine.

Recordings

Mackerras made many recordings throughout his career, starting with old 78 rpm records and moving to modern compact discs. In 1952, he recorded his own Pineapple Poll ballet. He later made two more full recordings of the ballet.

He also recorded Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks in 1959. This recording was special because it tried to sound like Handel would have heard it, using the original instruments.

In the 1960s, Mackerras made the first recording of the Italian version of Gluck's Orfeo. He also recorded a new version of Handel's Messiah that was more historically accurate. He recorded many other famous works by composers like Mahler, Mozart, Brahms, and Beethoven.

In 1953, he conducted Sullivan's cello concerto for the BBC. The original music was mostly destroyed in a fire. More than 30 years later, Mackerras helped to put the concerto back together. He conducted its first new performance in 1986 and recorded it shortly after. He also recorded several Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the Welsh National Opera.

His recording of Britten's Gloriana won a "Best Opera Recording" award in 1994. His last recording was Suk's Asrael Symphony, which was a very emotional piece written after the composer lost his father-in-law and wife. Mackerras recorded it not long after his own daughter, Fiona, passed away.

Honours and Awards

Sir Charles Mackerras received many awards and honours for his amazing contributions to music.

• In 1974, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
• In 1979, he was knighted, which means he became "Sir Charles Mackerras."
• In 1978, he received the Janáček Medal for his work with Czech music.
• In 1996, he received the Medal of Merit from the Czech Republic.
• In 1997, he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), one of Australia's highest honours.
• In 2003, he was made a Companion of Honour (CH) by the Queen.
• In 2005, he received the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal. He was also the first person to receive the Queen's Medal for Music.

Legacy

The Music Room at the Bodleian's Weston Library at Oxford University was named after Mackerras in 2015, showing how important his musical legacy is.

See also

In Spanish: Charles Mackerras para niños