The Complete Warner Classics Edition 63CD

The Complete Recordings on HMV, Pye, Columbia Graphophone, Classics for Pleasure, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics & Erato

Sir Charles Mackerras (1925-2010) was a towering figure in the world of classical music, renowned for his versatility, meticulous scholarship, and electrifying performances. Born in Australia, he spent much of his illustrious career in Britain, becoming a principal conductor of the English National Opera and a frequent guest conductor with leading orchestras and opera companies worldwide.

Mackerras was particularly celebrated for his interpretations of Janáček, Dvořák, and Mozart, often bringing a revelatory freshness to familiar scores through his deep understanding of period performance practices and original manuscripts. His discography is vast, encompassing a wide range of repertoire and earning him numerous awards. Beyond his conducting prowess, Mackerras was also an astute musicologist, preparing critical editions of several operas. His legacy is one of unwavering dedication to musical integrity and an infectious passion that inspired countless musicians and audiences alike.

This set covers a substantial part of the recorded legacy of Sir Charles Mackerras, ranging over half a century, from his debut on record in 1951 (Pineapple Poll), to one of his finest later opera recordings (Idomeneo), embracing a repertoire that goes far beyond any conventional notions of his specialities. Rightly considered an authority on Handel, Mozart, Sullivan, Czech music (especially Dvořák and Janáček), and with a comprehensive opera repertoire, this set also celebrates his impressive credentials in Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Mahler, in British and Russian music, in ballet and in lighter orchestral pieces, as well as demonstrating his skill as an arranger – not only in his ballets Pineapple Poll and The Lady and the Fool but also on some delightful vocal albums.

Along with his energetic and stylish musicianship, what was the key to Mackerras’s extraordinary consistency across a career that spanned sixty years, with a vast and varied repertoire? Perhaps Dame Janet Baker – one of Sir Charles’s favourite collaborators – put it best in an interview with the Guardian to mark his 80th birthday:

“His whole raison d’être, his whole driving force, the whole point of his life, is to pay tribute to the score. Nothing else matters …. He has extraordinary concentration on the work in hand. All great conductors have this to a degree, but with Charles it’s as though for that moment he exists for nothing else”