Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 4 (Karel Ančerl)

Information

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

• Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 43

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Karel Ančerl, conductor

Date: 1962 / 2025

Label: Archipel

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Karel Ančerl (1908–1973) was a prominent Czech conductor and composer, acclaimed for his interpretations of contemporary music and works by Czech composers. Educated at the Prague Conservatory, he studied conducting under Hermann Scherchen and Václav Talich and was active in avant-garde musical circles before World War II. His career was interrupted by his imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps, from which he survived. After the war, he became artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic (1950–1968), shaping a distinctive Czech orchestral sound. Following his emigration to Canada in 1968, he served as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra until his death.