Music for the Royal Fireworks
Returning to England from Prague in 1948, Mackerras rejoined Sadler's Wells as an assistant conductor and began his lifelong association with the Sadler's Wells Opera, now English National Opera, conducting, among others, Janáček, Handel, Gluck, Bach, and Donizetti. In the 1950s, well before the "authenticity" movement had come to general notice, Mackerras focused on the study and practical realization of period performance techniques, culminating in his landmark 1959 recording of Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks" using the original wind band instrumentation. In his 1965 performance of "The Marriage of Figaro", he added the ornamentation in a historically informed style.