Karel Ancerl
Encyclopedia
Karel Ančerl was a Czech conductor
, known for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composer
s. His recordings with Czech Philharmonic acquired many international awards (several times Golden Harmony Award, Grand Prix du disque, etc.) and digitalized titled, Karel Ančerl Gold Edition
was awarded by Grand Prix du Disque
de l'Académie Charles Cros
.
, South Bohemian Region
into a Jewish family. His father Leopold was a large-scale producer of liquors and spirits. After graduating from the gymnasium (primary and secondary school) in Prague (1918–24) he entered the Prague Conservatory
in 1926. He studied composition, conducting, chamber music, violin and percussion. In 1931 he participated at the Munich
premiere of Alois Hába
's quarter-tone opera Mother
. Ančerl studied under Hermann Scherchen
and later worked with Václav Talich
, among others. In 1931 he started his conducting career with the Osvobozené divadlo
theatre. During 1931-33, he markedly improved the theatre orchestra. From 1933 to 1939, he conducted for the Czechoslovak radio, but his career as a conductor was interrupted by World War II
.
He was sent with his family to the Theresienstadt concentration camp
(Terezín) on 12 November 1942. There, he became the leader of the Terezín String Orchestra and started to organize cultural and music life in the ghetto. His final performance was for the propaganda film Der Führer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt
(The Führer Gives the Jews a City) directed, under coercion of the camp commandant Rahm, by Kurt Gerron
to fool the Red Cross. The film showed Ančerl conducting a work by Pavel Haas
on a wooden pavilion, with flowerpots hiding the fact that many of the orchestra were barefoot. The film also featured Martin Roman
's big band, the Ghetto Swingers
. As soon as the film was over, Gerron, Ančerl, Haas, Roman and all those who had participated in the film were herded into cattle trucks for the final transport to Auschwitz
on 15 October 1944. Ančerl managed to survive Auschwitz, but his wife Valy and son Jan (born in Terezín) perished in the gas chambers.
After the war, he conducted for the Prague Radio until 1950, and rose to fame when appointed (on 20 October 1950) artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic. His eighteen-year tenure with this orchestra is often regarded as its greatest period, which brought it much international recognition. In August 1968, after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
, he decided to emigrate to Toronto
, Canada
. He conducted his last two concerts with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the Prague Spring Festival in 1969. He conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
from 1968 until his death in Toronto in 1973.
Some of his notable pupils include Brian Jackson
, Štěpán Koníček, Libor Pešek
, Jan Tausinger
, and Martin Turnovský
.
, Bedřich Smetana
, Leoš Janáček
, Bohuslav Martinů
and Miloslav Kabeláč
, Ančerl interpreted early 20th century masters Igor Stravinsky
, Béla Bartók
, Sergei Prokofiev
and the Toronto-based organist/composer Healey Willan
. His 1968 Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 9
is widely admired.
As a conductor, Ančerl followed a recognizably Czech tradition and, along with Václav Talich
, Karel Šejna
, Václav Neumann
and numerous others, he helped to create a sense of tradition and a definable sound world related to a definable sense of Czech music. Sharp rhythms, vibrant dynamics, and a strongly etched sound world were hall-marks of his conducting style. These aspects were most noticeable when he conducted his home orchestra - the Czech Philharmonic, but he also managed to get orchestras as diverse as the Toronto Symphony, the Vienna Symphony and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
to also play with a sharp, distinctive and altogether Czech sound. In recent years not only have his many Supraphon recordings been reissued on CD but performances with these other orchestras have also surfaced on labels such as Tahra, CBC Records
and EMI
. Labels such as Line Classics have issued some radio recordings made during the late 1940s, when Ančerl returned to Prague. To date, operas by Smetana and Dvořák have also surfaced. A video of a rehearsal with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra has also been issued and it depicts the two key elements of his conducting style - a fastidious attention to detail and an infectious sense of rhythm and vibrancy.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, known for his performances of contemporary music and for his interpretations of music by Czech composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s. His recordings with Czech Philharmonic acquired many international awards (several times Golden Harmony Award, Grand Prix du disque, etc.) and digitalized titled, Karel Ančerl Gold Edition
Karel Ančerl Gold Edition
The Karel Ančerl Gold Edition is the collection of 42 reissued and remastered albums, recorded by Czech conductor Karel Ančerl from 1950 until 1968, when the artist left Czechoslovakia in the wake of the Soviet invasion...
was awarded by Grand Prix du Disque
Grand Prix du Disque
The Grand Prix du Disque is the premier French award for musical recordings. The award was inaugurated by l'Académie Charles Cros in 1948 and offers prizes in various categories. The categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in any one category in the same year...
de l'Académie Charles Cros
L'Académie Charles Cros
The Académie Charles-Cros, is an organization in France that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry....
.
Life
He was born in TučapyTučapy (Tábor District)
Tučapy is a village and municipality in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic.The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 791 ....
, South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region
South Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located mostly in the southern part of its historical land of Bohemia, with a small part in southwestern Moravia...
into a Jewish family. His father Leopold was a large-scale producer of liquors and spirits. After graduating from the gymnasium (primary and secondary school) in Prague (1918–24) he entered the Prague Conservatory
Prague Conservatory
Prague Conservatory, sometimes also Prague Conservatoire, in Czech Pražská konzervatoř, is a Czech secondary school in Prague dedicated to teaching the arts of music and theater acting.- Instruction :...
in 1926. He studied composition, conducting, chamber music, violin and percussion. In 1931 he participated at the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
premiere of Alois Hába
Alois Hába
Alois Hába was a Czech composer, musical theorist and teacher. He is primarily known for his microtonal compositions, especially using the quarter tone scale, though he used others such as sixth-tones and twelfth-tones....
's quarter-tone opera Mother
Mother (opera)
Mother, op. 35, is a quarter-tone opera in ten scenes by Czech composer Alois Hába. It was completed in 1929 on the composer's own libretto, its plot is drawn from author's native Valašsko...
. Ančerl studied under Hermann Scherchen
Hermann Scherchen
Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor.-Life:Scherchen was originally a violist and played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens...
and later worked with Václav Talich
Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
, among others. In 1931 he started his conducting career with the Osvobozené divadlo
Osvobozené divadlo
Osvobozené divadlo was a Prague avant-garde theatre scene founded as the theatre section of an association of Czech avant-garde artists Devětsil in 1926. The theatre's beginnings were strongly influenced by Dadaism and Futurism, later by Poetism...
theatre. During 1931-33, he markedly improved the theatre orchestra. From 1933 to 1939, he conducted for the Czechoslovak radio, but his career as a conductor was interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was sent with his family to the Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
(Terezín) on 12 November 1942. There, he became the leader of the Terezín String Orchestra and started to organize cultural and music life in the ghetto. His final performance was for the propaganda film Der Führer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt
Theresienstadt (film)
Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet was a black and white projected Nazi propaganda film shot in the concentration camp of Theresienstadt....
(The Führer Gives the Jews a City) directed, under coercion of the camp commandant Rahm, by Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron was a German Jewish actor and film director.-Life:Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he initially studied medicine but was called up for military service in World War I. Seriously wounded he qualified as a military doctor of the German Army...
to fool the Red Cross. The film showed Ančerl conducting a work by Pavel Haas
Pavel Haas
Pavel Haas was a Czech composer who was murdered during the Holocaust. He was an exponent of Leoš Janáček's school of composition, and also utilized elements of folk music and jazz. Although his output was not large, he is notable particularly for his song cycles and string quartets.-Pre-war:Haas...
on a wooden pavilion, with flowerpots hiding the fact that many of the orchestra were barefoot. The film also featured Martin Roman
Martin Roman
Martin Roman was a German jazz pianist.At the time of the Reichstagsbrand in February 1933, Martin was stopped by SS men at the entrance to the huge Vaterland emporium in Berlin, where his band, the Marek Weber Band, was employed. He left for Holland. In January 1944 Roman was transported to Terezín...
's big band, the Ghetto Swingers
Ghetto Swingers
The Ghetto Swingers were a jazz band organised in Theresienstadt.The original amateur Czech band playing in the Cafe was led by Eric Vogel and Pavel Lipensky. Vogel petitioned the Kommandant on January 8, 1943. The personnel of The Ghetto Swingers would be Piano: Dr. Brammer, Percussion: Dr. Kurt...
. As soon as the film was over, Gerron, Ančerl, Haas, Roman and all those who had participated in the film were herded into cattle trucks for the final transport to Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
on 15 October 1944. Ančerl managed to survive Auschwitz, but his wife Valy and son Jan (born in Terezín) perished in the gas chambers.
After the war, he conducted for the Prague Radio until 1950, and rose to fame when appointed (on 20 October 1950) artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic. His eighteen-year tenure with this orchestra is often regarded as its greatest period, which brought it much international recognition. In August 1968, after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
, he decided to emigrate to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He conducted his last two concerts with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the Prague Spring Festival in 1969. He conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
from 1968 until his death in Toronto in 1973.
Some of his notable pupils include Brian Jackson
Brian Jackson (conductor)
Brian Jackson is a Canadian conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1974...
, Štěpán Koníček, Libor Pešek
Libor Pešek
Libor Pešek KBE is a Czech conductor.Pešek was born in Prague and studied conducting, piano, cello and trombone at the Academy of Musical Arts there, with Václav Smetáček and Karel Ančerl among his teachers. He worked at the Pilsen and Prague Operas, and from 1958 to 1964 was the founder and...
, Jan Tausinger
Jan Tausinger
Jan Tausinger was a Romania-born ethnic Czech violist, conductor and composer.-Biography:...
, and Martin Turnovský
Martin Turnovský
Martin Turnovský is a Czech conductor.-Biography:Turnovský was born in Prague. His father was familiar with the conductor George Szell, who helped in the beginnings of Turnovský's career. During World War II, at the age of 16, Turnovský was imprisoned in German concentration camp, due to his...
.
Style
Ančerl's remarkable control of orchestral dynamics, along with an exceptional grasp of both musical form and detail made him an especially effective recording artist. His broad range of recordings for the Czech Supraphon label have been carefully preserved with digital technology. In addition to performances of Czech masters Antonín DvořákAntonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
, Bedřich Smetana
Bedrich Smetana
Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music...
, Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
, Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
and Miloslav Kabeláč
Miloslav Kabelác
Miloslav Kabeláč was a prominent Czech composer and conductor. Miloslav Kabeláč belongs to the foremost Czech symphonists, whose work can be compared with Antonín Dvořák or Bohuslav Martinů...
, Ančerl interpreted early 20th century masters Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
and the Toronto-based organist/composer Healey Willan
Healey Willan
Healey Willan, was an Anglo-Canadian organist and composer. He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano...
. His 1968 Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
Symphony No. 9
Symphony No. 9 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 9 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1909 and 1910, and was the last symphony that he completed.Though the work is often described as being in the key of D major, the tonal scheme of the symphony as whole is progressive...
is widely admired.
Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
, Karel Šejna
Karel Šejna
Karel Šejna was a Czech double bassist and conductor, the principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1950.-Life and career:...
, Václav Neumann
Václav Neumann
Václav Neumann was a Czech conductor, violinist and viola player.Neumann was born in Prague where he studied at the Prague Conservatory, with Josef Micka , and with Pavel Dědeček and Metod Doležil . He co-founded, and played 1st violin in, the Smetana Quartet, before holding conducting posts in...
and numerous others, he helped to create a sense of tradition and a definable sound world related to a definable sense of Czech music. Sharp rhythms, vibrant dynamics, and a strongly etched sound world were hall-marks of his conducting style. These aspects were most noticeable when he conducted his home orchestra - the Czech Philharmonic, but he also managed to get orchestras as diverse as the Toronto Symphony, the Vienna Symphony and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1988, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra...
to also play with a sharp, distinctive and altogether Czech sound. In recent years not only have his many Supraphon recordings been reissued on CD but performances with these other orchestras have also surfaced on labels such as Tahra, CBC Records
CBC Records
CBC Records is a Canadian record label, owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributes CBC programming, including live concert performances in album and digital format....
and EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. Labels such as Line Classics have issued some radio recordings made during the late 1940s, when Ančerl returned to Prague. To date, operas by Smetana and Dvořák have also surfaced. A video of a rehearsal with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra has also been issued and it depicts the two key elements of his conducting style - a fastidious attention to detail and an infectious sense of rhythm and vibrancy.
External links
- Karel Ančerl biography and discography
- Karel Ančerl biography
- The Golden Edition by SUPRAPHON
- František Sláma (musician)František Sláma (musician)František Sláma was a significant Czech chamber music performer. He was the first Czech cellist who focused on Early music.-Biography:...
Archive. More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s: Conductors