Karel Ančerl’s nascent conducting career was interrupted by World War II, Ančerl and his family being sent to the Theresienstadt camp in 1942. Two years later, he and his family were sent to Auschwitz. Ančerl’s wife and son were murdered; he survived, returning home and gaining a conducting post with Radio Prague. There’s an inspiring quote in this set’s booklet, Ančerl recalling that, “despite having witnessed the abysmal depths of that which a human is capable of doing to a fellow human, I did not lose faith in people – I returned with full verve and took up the path I first pursued in 1930”. In 1950 he was unexpectedly appointed Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic, where he remained until 1968. Ančerl’s studio legacy with the orchestra contains some staggering things; if he ever made a bad recording, I’ve not heard it. His superbly engineered accounts of Janacek’s Sinfonietta and Glagolitic Mass are still among the best available, an ideal starting point for anyone unfamiliar with his work. Go forth and explore: Ančerl’s Mahler 9, Martinu 5, Rite of Spring and Shostakovich 5 are equally marvellous, all available as mid-price reissues. You’ll be hooked. Then go and buy this new 15 CD box, which contains a wealth of material sourced from the archives of Czech Radio. There’s loads here which Ančerl didn’t record commercially. The live recordings, mostly captured in detailed mono sound, are captivating; the orchestra’s signature sound immediately recognisable and the performances full of colour.
Ančerl’s Beethoven 2 and Triple Concerto really sing, the latter featuring the great violinist Josef Suk. There’s an impetuous Strauss Don Juan, and deeply humane, warm readings of Dvorak’s 7th and 8th Symphonies. Suk’s Asrael Symphony is as moving as any I’ve heard. A feisty version of Debussy’s La Mer whips up a storm, the Czech winds and brass convincingly Gallic-sounding. Ančerl could seemingly do everything, tackling composers as diverse as Walter Piston, Vaughan Williams and Lutoslawski and nailing each one. Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro (featuring the Smetana Quartet) is electrifying, Ančerl’s strings tearing into the busy fugal writing before an exultant coda. A strident take on Prokofiev’s Scythian Suite is both menacing and witty.
There’s a wealth of unusual material. Josef Foerster’s Symphony No. 4, subtitled ‘Easter Eve’ is enjoyable, as is Vítězslav Novák’s extravagantly scored Autumn Symphony, replete with chorus. Jan Klusak’s Variations on a Theme of Gustav Mahler pushes the “Adagietto” from Mahler 5 in unexpected directions. Iša Krejčí’s pithy Symphony No. 1 is a neoclassical delight, and Jindřich Feld’s 1957 Concerto for Orchestra is ripe for rediscovery. You probably won’t want to listen to Erwin Schulhoff’s setting of The Communist Manifesto more than once, but it’s still a fascinating curio. In 1968, Ančerl, having agreed to deputise for …….
Source: https://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/classical-cds-mediation-survival-and-conquering-shyness