Talich and also Zdeněk Chalabala, who was the principal conductor of the National Theatre in Prague, recognized Krombholc's talent, and from 1 April 1940 Krombholc was engaged as a Répétiteur in the opera company of the National Theatre. He conducted the opera for the first time at the National Theatre on 9 June 1941. It was Josef Suk's music for Zeyer's Radúz and Mahulena. He conducted at the National Theatre until 1943. In 1943–1945, he was the chief of opera at National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava. After the end of World War II in 1945, he returned to the National Theatre and remained there until the end of his career, although in some phases of his career he only guested there and was also involved in conducting the Czech Philharmonic and the Symphony Orchestra of the Czechoslovak Radio.[1]
In 1948, Krombholc conducted for the first time abroad, namely Janáček's Jenůfa at the Vienna State Opera in Austria. Five reprises of the opera, however, due to the change in political conditions and the Iron Curtain, were Krombholc's last foreign performances for a long time. In 1955, he went on tour with the National Theatre to Moscow in Soviet Union.[1] In the following years, he performed on tours in Berlin, Brussels and also in Royal Opera House in London, as the first Czech conductor after World War II.[3]
He made various recordings of Czech operas for Supraphon, notably Janáček's Káťa Kabanová,[4] and Martinů's Julietta.[5]
Krombholc created a unique style and was appreciated for his use of orchestral sound and for his ability to dramatically construct an operatic work. His successful career ranked him among the most important Czech opera conductors.[1]
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