Charles Mackerras is turning 80, and he’s being celebrated. “In some respects the deification of Mackerras is a bit silly. Once a conductor reaches a certain age no one will say a word against him – even though he is palpably the same man who was criticised earlier in his career and is still capable of the occasional dud performance. Age somehow confers the mantle of genius. That says something about the conductor’s role: orchestras want a father figure. They will put up with irascibility and a demanding nature in a way they wouldn’t have done from the same person when he was younger. But Mackerras’s public standing has never been higher.”