Charles Mackerras
336
Charles Mackerras
336Hardcover
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Overview
By the time of his death in 2010 at the age of 84, Sir Charles Mackerras had achieved widespread recognition, recorded extensively and developed into a conductor of major international significance. In addition to areas in which he already had forged a distinctive profile (Janácek, Mozart, Handel, Sullivan) he revisited - and rethought - much of the standard repertoire. The last thirty years were particularly momentous in the coming to fruition of so manycherished projects: not only the Janácek operas but the Gilbert and Sullivan series, the Mozart operas, the two Beethoven cycles, other projects with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Schumann and Brahms at Edinburgh; the outstanding late Mozart) and at the Royal Opera House and the Met. Unspoilt by fame, and undeterred by personal tragedies and increasing physical frailty, he remained productive and inventive: for him music-making, whether with world-classsingers and orchestras or with students, was a kind of joyous oxygen that kept him going right to the end.
A detailed account of his life is complemented by contributions from performers and scholars who worked closely with Mackerras, as well as interviews with his family. The book is richly illustrated with photographs and documents, and includes a comprehensive discography along with listings of many of his concert and opera performances. While SirCharles's whole life is considered, emphasis is given to his final quarter century, a period in which so many important projects were realized. This book celebrates and epitomizes an exceptional life.
NIGEL SIMEONE is awriter and teacher. He has published extensively on Messiaen and Janácek and recently edited The Leonard Bernstein Letters.
JOHN TYRRELL is Honorary Professor of Music at Cardiff University. He has published bookson Janácek and Czech opera and, with Sir Charles Mackerras, edited two Janácek operas. CONTRIBUTORS: Janet Baker, Alfred Brendel, Ales Brezina, Alex Briger, Rosenna East, Anne Evans, Nicholas Hytner, Simon Keenlyside, David Lloyd-Jones, David Mackie, Chi-chi Nwanoku, Antonio Pappano, Nigel Simeone, John Stein, Heinz Stolba, Patrick Summers, John Tyrrell, Malcolm Walker, David Whelton, Jirí Zahrádka.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781843839668 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | BOYDELL & BREWER INC |
| Publication date: | 03/19/2015 |
| Pages: | 336 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
NIGEL SIMEONE is a music scholar, writer and broadcaster specializing in twentieth-century music. He is the author of numerous books. For the Boydell Press he is the co-author with John Tyrell of Charles Mackerras (2015) and the author of The Janáček Compendium (2019).
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations viii
List of Abbreviations x
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
About the Contributors xiv
Charles Mackerras: A Chronology xviii
Prologue: A Eulogy for Charles Janet Baker 1
1 An Immense Stylist Evolves: 1947-87 Nigel Simeone 3
2 A Personal Portrait of Charles Mackerras David Lloyd-Jones 39
3 Mackerras and Janácek John Tyrrell 45
4 Goat's Milk in Vienna: Three Memorable Meetings Heinz Stolba 61
5 The Lion: Charles Mackerras Patrick Summers 67
6 'The Musical Values of Opera': WNO, 1987-92 Nigel Simeone 87
Remembering Charles in Wales John Stein 87
7 Triumphs and Tribulations: Opera, 1993-2001 Nigel Simeone 107
'Impeccable musicianship and enthusiasm for whatever he did' Anne Evans 107
8 Rethinking Old Favourites: Opera, 2002-10 Nigel Simeone 126
Viva Charlie! Antonio Pappano 126
A master of Mozart Simon Keenlyside 129
Three memorable collaborations Nicholas Hytner 147
9 The Last Great 'Czech' Conductor Jiri Zahrádka 149
10 Reminiscences of a Friend and Colleague Jiri Zahrádka 160
11 Reconstructing a Better Version of The Greek Passion Aleš Brezina 165
12 Reconstructing Sullivan's Cello Concerto David Mackie 169
13 Three Orchestras Nigel Simeone 175
'And there was light!' Sir Charles and the OAE Chi-chi Nwanoku 176
An electric entrance Rosenna East 180
On Sir Charles Mackerras Alfred Brendel 183
Sir Charles at the Philharmonia David Whelton 184
14 Coda Nigel Simeone 194
Appendix 1 Mackerras in Performance 205
A SWO/ENO performances, 1970-77 205
B Janacek opera performances, 1951-2010 207
C San Francisco Opera performances, 1969-2000 210
D WNO performances, 1950-2009 211
E ROH performances, 1955-2010 214
F Performances in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, and with Czech orchestras abroad, 1961-2008 217
G OAE performances, 1987-2010 221
H SCO performances, 1993-2010 223
I Philharmonia performances, 2002-09 229
Appendix 2 Desert Island Lists Nigel Simeone 232
Discography Malcolm Walker 235
Bibliography 276
A Works Charles Mackerras 276
B Works by others 277
Editions and Arrangements Charles Mackerras 278
Index 280