Ludwig van Beethoven
17. Dezember 1770 in Bonn - † 26. März 1827 in Wien
Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major op.73 "Emperor concerto", Part 1
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Karel Ančerl, piano Glenn Gould
Karel Ančerl
* 11. dubna 1908, Tučapy u Soběslavi - † 3. července 1973, Toronto
Karel Ančerl was a superb Czech conductor. In Auschwitz, Karel Ancerl lost the whole family. He escaped himself by miracle.
. Music helped him to cope with the indescribable pain. He settled in Toronto after the 1968 Prague Spring. Unfortunately he died couple of years later.
(His recordings with the wonderful Czech Philharmonic are priceless.)
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, was unable to go through with his performance of Beethoven’s Concerto No.5, Emperor, in Toronto. Gould was given a telephone call on Thursday evening. The problem was explained, and he was asked to substitute for Michelangeli the next morning, on Friday, when the Toronto Symphony and the conductor, Karel Ančerl, were scheduled to work with Michelangeli. Gould’s answer was affirmative and good-spirited. In the space of the next few night hours, Gould rehearsed the Concerto he had not touched in four years. The program was televised and, subsequently, aired on September 12, 1970. To everyone’s amazement, Gould played Beethoven’s Concerto in front of the camera flawlessly and by heart.
