Karel Ancerl

 


I heard Karel Ancerl live only once. It was a concert at the Royal Festival Hall with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in November 1965. Ancerl was a very fine conductor indeed and this concert demonstrated that most convicingly.

What struck me in particular was his reading of Dvorak's New World Symphony. Contrary to the Toscanini version on which I had been brought up, this was a molto espressivo interpretation. 

My overriding impression was of a Mahlerian symphony. After all, Dvorak and Mahler were born 130 Km apart from eachother and their lives overlapped by 44 years. However, their personal contact and correspondence was limited and although Mahler premiered a Tone Poem by Dvorak ('A Hero's Song') and conducted some other works he is not known to have conducted any symphonies by Dvorak. 

They had planned together to mount 'Rusalka' at the Vienna Opera (Hofoper) but it was not to be. In fact Rusalka wasn't given there until 1987.



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