Charles Mackerras: New Website

[makropulos]

A new website devoted to Charles Mackerras has just been launched. Here's the link:

http://charlesmackerras.com/

It's maintained by members of Charles's family, including his daughter Cathy. I'd encourage anybody interested to take a look. Members of this forum will, I hope, enjoy Malcolm Walker's complete discography of Mackerras's recordings (from the book I co-edited last year), and there are also some new performance lists –supplements to the ones in the book –which I compiled more recently (probably something for people who like those things as much as I do).

[BBMmk2]

Thanks for the thumbs up here! Great idea to have a web site of Sir Charles

[aeolium]

Many thanks, makropulos - a great resource

I'd like to hear this documentary on CM that's on WFMT Chicago tomorrow (see on the right of the Links page) but 10 pm Chicago time might be a problem over here. Any idea whether it might be available on the WFMT equivalent of iplayer, or as a podcast?

[cloughie]

Many thanks, makropulos - a great resource

I'd like to hear this documentary on CM that's on WFMT Chicago tomorrow (see on the right of the Links page) but 10 pm Chicago time might be a problem over here. Any idea whether it might be available on the WFMT equivalent of iplayer, or as a podcast?

The Discography looks very comprehensive, when I've an hour to spare....

[Pianoman]

A new website devoted to Charles Mackerras has just been launched. Here's the link:

http://charlesmackerras.com/

It's maintained by members of Charles's family, including his daughter Cathy. I'd encourage anybody interested to take a look. Members of this forum will, I hope, enjoy Malcolm Walker's complete discography of Mackerras's recordings (from the book I co-edited last year), and there are also some new performance lists –supplements to the ones in the book –which I compiled more recently (probably something for people who like those things as much as I do).

Thanks - by a lovely coincidence I've just been listening to his really excellent Beethoven Eroica with the Royal Liverpool from 1994, coupled with an equally good first. I never did get the whole Liverpool cycle but may just rethink that...

[Bryn]

Looking forward to Edinburgh being added to the performance lists.

[Alison]

Looking forward to Edinburgh being added to the performance lists.

And the Philharmonia Orchestra!

No danger of work running out for our esteemed friend!

[visualnickmos]

Thanks - by a lovely coincidence I've just been listening to his really excellent Beethoven Eroica with the Royal Liverpool from 1994, coupled with an equally good first. I never did get the whole Liverpool cycle but may just rethink that...

A very fine set. Yes - the Eroica is wonderful, here.

[makropulos]

And the Philharmonia Orchestra!

No danger of work running out for our esteemed friend!

Alison - the Philharmonia concert list is one of the ones in the book, but I'll certainly ask Cathy to add it to the website in due course!

[Gordon]

Many thanks Makropulos for this link and especially the discography, it beats trawling through those of the various orchestras and those aren't as comprehensive wrt SirC. Amazingly wide reportoire. Didn't seem to spend much time recording at Kingsway but I still return to his 1966 KH ECO Messiah with the 12:8 Rejoice aria with pleasure and so good to see those extracts of B&W film from those Messiah sessions, complete with Herincx smoking as he sings!!

A friend of mine whose mother was a friend of Mrs/Lady McK used to help SirC with his domestic recording system and made recordings for him. Lovely man apparently but endlessly busy!!

Now looking forward to Ilkley!

[makropulos]

Many thanks Makropulos for this link and especially the discography, it beats trawling through those of the various orchestras and those aren't as comprehensive wrt SirC. Amazingly wide reportoire. Didn't seem to spend much time recording at Kingsway but I still return to his 1966 KH ECO Messiah with the 12:8 Rejoice aria with pleasure and so good to see those extracts of B&W film from those Messiah sessions, complete with Herincx smoking as he sings!!

A friend of mine whose mother was a friend of Mrs/Lady McK used to help SirC with his domestic recording system and made recordings for him. Lovely man apparently but endlessly busy!!

Now looking forward to Ilkley!

Thanks Gordon - I'm very happy you've had fun exploring the discography! And yes, I'm looking forward to Ilkley too - I'm actually there twice: talking about 70 Years of the Philharmonia at the FRMS weekend on 12th March, and then at the Wharfedale Music Society on 6th April talking about Sir Charles - and trying to include some really unusual things for that (many of them unpublished, and therefore not even in Malcolm's discography).

[Gordon]

Thanks Gordon - I'm very happy you've had fun exploring the discography! And yes, I'm looking forward to Ilkley too - I'm actually there twice: talking about 70 Years of the Philharmonia at the FRMS weekend on 12th March, and then at the Wharfedale Music Society on 6th April talking about Sir Charles - and trying to include some really unusual things for that (many of them unpublished, and therefore not even in Malcolm's discography).

Looking forward to your session at Ilkley - the only Philharmonia discography I know is the one by Stephen Pettitt [only up to 1987] published originally by John Hunt 1987 but also republished by Travis & Emery 2009 [try Amazon]. Pity there isn't an electronic one that can be searched like yours and Philip Stuart's. Philip baulked at the idea of a Kingsway one when I asked him!! Can't say I blame him.

[makropulos]

Looking forward to your session at Ilkley - the only Philharmonia discography I know is the one by Stephen Pettitt [only up to 1987] published originally by John Hunt 1987 but also republished by Travis & Emery 2009 [try Amazon]. Pity there isn't an electronic one that can be searched like yours and Philip Stuart's. Philip baulked at the idea of a Kingsway one when I asked him!! Can't say I blame him.

Some very good news on the Philharmonia front: there's a new discography in prepararation at the moment (it's being most expertly done by Brian Godfrey), and I imagine the finished work will be put online.

[Gordon]

Some very good news on the Philharmonia front: there's a new discography in prepararation at the moment (it's being most expertly done by Brian Godfrey), and I imagine the finished work will be put online.

Excellent news and timely for the 70th too!! Any idea when? I feel an affinity with the Philharmonia since the orchestra made its first recording at Abbey Road in July 1945, 9 days before I was born!! I have a copy of their first Kingsway recordings with Heddle Nash in the following August. I wonder if any original member is left, they'd be at least 90 by now so highly unlikely!! Come to that who is the oldest surviving member?

Your session at Ilkley is on 12th and so exactly 70 years back from then they were in Abbey Road recording Weber overtures with Susskind. They seem [Pettitt] to have been issued only on 78 so I wonder if they are available somewhere now?

What is available and near is Dennis Brain's Mozart No 2 from March 27th also Abbey Road [EMI's box of Dennis Brain, 206 010 2]. One real surprise is to see Bernstein aged 27 recording the Ravel PC in G for Victor on July 1st 1946, AR, apparently his only recording with them before 1987!! I wonder if that's about somewhere too, quite collectable?!!

[makropulos]

Excellent news and timely for the 70th too!! Any idea when? I feel an affinity with the Philharmonia since the orchestra made its first recording at Abbey Road in July 1945, 9 days before I was born!! I have a copy of their first Kingsway recordings with Heddle Nash in the following August. I wonder if any original member is left, they'd be at least 90 by now so highly unlikely!! Come to that who is the oldest surviving member?

Your session at Ilkley is on 12th and so exactly 70 years back from then they were in Abbey Road recording Weber overtures with Susskind. They seem [Pettitt] to have been issued only on 78 so I wonder if they are available somewhere now?

What is available and near is Dennis Brain's Mozart No 2 from March 27th also Abbey Road [EMI's box of Dennis Brain, 206 010 2]. One real surprise is to see Bernstein aged 27 recording the Ravel PC in G for Victor on July 1st 1946, AR, apparently his only recording with them before 1987!! I wonder if that's about somewhere too, quite collectable?!!

Thanks for those details. And yes, the Bernstein Ravel Concerto with the Philharmonia has been reissued by RCA and others - here's one transfer:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bernstein-Conducts-Stravinsky-Ravel-Igor/dp/B00002EPMO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1457099980&sr=8-4&keywords=bernstein+ravel+philharmonia

I've a French RCA transfer that is (I think) superior to this, and there are several others.