SMETANA B. MÁ VLAST / MY COUNTRY / CPO / K.Ančerl (live Prague Spring Festival 1968)

Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) - Má vlast / My Country

Cyklus symfonických básní / A Cycle of Symphonic Poems 73:36

1. I. Vyšehrad (c.1872-74) 13:51

2. II. Vltava (1874) 11:48

3. III. Šárka (1875) 9:57

4. IV. Z českých luhů a hájů / From Bohemian Fields and Groves (1875) 12:04

5. V. Tábor (1878) 12:28

6. VI. Blaník (1879) 13:29

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Karel Ančerl conductor

Live, stereo recording at the concert of the Prague Spring Festival, on May 12, 1968

The recording of the opening concert of Prague Spring 1968 captures Ančerl's performance of Smetana's My Country with the Czech Philharmonic which - over the 18 years he was at the helm - he managed to transform into one of the world's finest symphony orchestras. Ančerl's "harvest" of the fruit of many years of diligent work was in fact also the beginning of his leave-taking from his orchestra, as well as his homeland itself. At the time of the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 the conductor found himself in Toronto. Save for a single guest appearance in Prague in 1969, he was never to return to his country.

(Supraphon for DVD release of this recording SU70159)