Karel Ancerl - Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (1968) [2018 The Valued Collection Platinum]

1968, when the paintings from this exhibition were recorded, is an important year for Ancer and the Czech Philharmonic. Ancerl, who was forced into exile due to the Czech incident in August, was forced to resign as chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic at the same time. Of course, at the time of this recording in June, just before that, in the midst of a series of transformation movements called the so-called Prague Spring, Ancerl himself never thought that he would never have the opportunity to co-star again, including the transformation of his homeland and the relationship with the Soviet Union at the time. Even in such a situation, the performance of the paintings in this exhibition, rather than reflecting Ancerl's consciousness, is composed of music that emphasizes the music as usual. Also, the sound quality of the Supraphone varies greatly depending on the engineer and the time of year, but in this recording, the calm sound was created, especially the excellence of the brass instruments such as the trumpet, and the unique warm and brilliant sound, recorded in a certain sense of tension.

*As it is a machine translation, the result may not provide an accurate description.
Please use it only as a reference.


Tracks:

1. Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Maurice Ravel)
2. Sergey Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (excerpts)

Personnel:

Česká filharmonie
Conducted by Karel Ančerl

Recorded: January 1968 (1), August 1959 (2), Praha