Symphonies No. 19 - 23

"Modern instruments, but used with attention to period practice. The modest size of the musical forces is appropriate to the time, and the spirit and charm developed by Mackerras is central to Mozart performance at any time."
-Billboard

"Mackerras's is an outstanding series, with electrifying performances of the early as well as the later symphonies. Consistently Mackerras finds light and shade in Mozart's inspirations, both early and late..." (Series awarded the highest rating of three stars)
-- The Penguin Guide to Classics

Born in the United States of Australian parents, Sir Charles Mackerras studied in Sydney and Prague. He made his debut in opera at Sadler's Wells. He was appointed First Conductor with the Hamburg State Opera from 1966 to 1969 and was Musical Director of Sadler's Wells (later English National Opera) from 1970 to 1977. He is a specialist in the Czech repertory, notably Janacek, and has recorded a cycle of his operas with the Vienna Philharmonic. In February 1993, Sir Charles was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and later conducted its first professional performance in the United Kingdom of the "original version" of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass with the Brighton Festival Chorus at the Royal Festival Hall.

Sir Charles has undertaken a great deal of research into performance practice of the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the highlights of the 1991 season was the reopening of the Estates Theatre in Prague, scene of the original premiere of Don Giovanni, in which Sir Charles conducted a new production of that opera to mark the bicentenary of Mozart's death. He has recorded all the symphonies and serenades of Mozart with the Prague Chamber orchestra for Telarc, and since becoming Principal Guest Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has recorded The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte, Le Nozze Di Figaro, and in 1999, a new performance of Abduction from the Seraglio, which, in a joint production with the BBC and Antelope Productions, was filmed on location at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The new recording is scheduled for release in June 2000.

Sir Charles has for many years been associated with the Royal Opera House and he returns to Covent Garden in 1999/2000 to conduct Romeo et Juliet and Martinu's The Greek Passion. In addition to his many appearances with the San Francisco Opera, he conducts regularly at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, where his recent appearances include The Makropulos Case, Katya Kabanova, Die Zauberflote, and Lucia di Lammermoor. He made one of his many visits to Australia last year to conduct Opera Australia in a new production of Jenufa. He also made his debut at the Salzburg Festival conducting hugely successful performances of Le Nozze di Figaro with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

His vast discography includes an award-winning cycle of Janacek operas with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Britten's Gloriana (awarded Gramophone Magazine's Best Opera Recording for 1994), and Dvorak's Rusalka with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Notable are his recent highly acclaimed recordings of the Brahms symphonies and serenades with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for Telarc.

Sir Charles received a CBE in 1974 and was knighted in 1979 for his services to music. At the end of 1996 he received the Medal of Merit from the Czech Republic, and last year he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. He is a DMus (hon) of the Universities of Hull, York, Nottingham, Brno in the Czech Republic, Griffith in Brisbane, Australia, and Oxford. Sir Charles celebrated his seventieth birthday in 1995 with gala concerts with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Edinburgh, Welsh National Opera in Cardiff and with San Francisco Opera.