János Starker
János Starker | |
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Hungary | |
Died | April 28, 2013 , U.S. | (aged 88)
Occupation | Cellist |
János Starker (/ˈstɑːrkər/;[1] Hungarian: [ˈʃtɒrkɛr]; July 5, 1924 – April 28, 2013) was a Hungarian-American cellist. From 1958 until his death, he taught at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he held the title of Distinguished Professor. Starker is considered one of the greatest cellists of all time.[2]
Biography
Child prodigy
Starker was born in
Starker made his professional debut at age 14, playing the Dvořák concerto with three hours' notice when the originally scheduled soloist was unable to play.[4] He left the Liszt Academy in 1939 and spent most of the war in Budapest. Because of his youth, Starker escaped the tragic fate of his older brothers, who were pressed into forced labor and eventually murdered by the Nazis. Starker nevertheless spent three months in a Nazi internment camp.[5]
Professional career
After the war, Starker became principal cellist of the
He gave a successful concert in Vienna, then remained there to prepare for the Geneva Cello Competition. At the competition, held in October 1946, he received a bronze medal.[8]
After competing in Geneva, Starker spent a year working on his technique in Paris. "I played like a blind man," he said. "What happens to the bird who flies and doesn't know how it flies? That's what happens to child prodigies."
Starker emigrated to the United States in 1948 to become principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Antal Doráti.[10] In 1949, he moved to New York City to become principal cellist of the Metropolitan Opera under Fritz Reiner.[10] It was in New York that Starker made the first of his recordings of the Bach Cello Suites.[11]
In 1953, Starker became principal cellist of the
Recorded repertoire
External audio | |
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You may hear Starker performing: Franz Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto Luigi Boccherini's Cello Concerto with Carlo Maria Giulini conducing the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1959 Here on archive.org |
Starker made over 150 recordings.
Cellos
From 1950 to 1965, Starker played and recorded on the Lord Aylesford Stradivarius, the largest instrument made by
Reviews and published works
External audio | |
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You may hear Starker performing Beethoven's Concerto in C, Op. 56 For Piano, Violin, Cello, and Orchestra with Eliahu Inbal conducing the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1970 Here on archive.org |
Many documentaries, articles in magazines, and newspaper stories have acknowledged János Starker's
Playing style
Starker's playing style was intense and involved great technical mastery. According to some of his students, his technique revolved around long, legato notes, with very little shifting noise from his left hand, resulting in smooth, pure tones, "each note sounding like a jewel." Starker himself described his sound as "centered" and "focused." He was known for his ability to produce an extremely wide range of sounds and tone shading. He eschewed the wide vibrato favored by some of his peers—which he viewed as a cover for poor intonation—and was known for his patrician stage presence, preferring to let the music do the emoting. He quoted his long-time friend and colleague, György Sebők, who said, "Create excitement. Don't get excited."
Personal habits
Starker was a lifelong smoker with a sixty-cigarette-per-day habit.[1] He also drank copious amounts of scotch whiskey.[1] He once refused to perform a concert in Columbia, South Carolina, that he was supposed to play because he was not allowed to smoke his "pre-concert cigarette" backstage.[1]
Bibliography
- János Starker: The World of Music According to Starker. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2004. ISBN 978-0-253-34452-6.
References
- ^ a b c d The New York Times obituary
- ^ Classic FM, "These are the 16 greatest cellists of all time", November 15, 2016, Updated: October 24, 2019
- ISBN 0-253-34452-2
- ^ "Indianapublicmedia.org Obituary". Archived from the original on May 3, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- ^ János Starker, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- ^ a b c "The cellist János Starker has died". Gramophone. April 28, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ "Famed cellist Janos Starker dead at 88". Chicago Tribune. April 28, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Campbell, Margaret (April 30, 2013). "Janos Starker: Cello virtuoso whose teaching had as big an impact as his own playing". The Independent. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Potter, Tully (May 2, 2013). "János Starker obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ a b c "János Starker". The Daily Telegraph. April 29, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ "'Tell a Story, Don't Just Play Notes'". Local 802 AFM. October 1, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ Wise, Brian (April 29, 2013). "Revered Cellist Janos Starker Dies at 88". WQXR. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "Janos Starker". GRAMMY.com. February 15, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ Adam Stern, booklet notes to Delos CD 3095
- ^ "Property". Tarisio. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
Further reading
- The World of Music According to Starker, Janos Starker, Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana University Press (2004). ISBN 0-253-34452-2.
- The Roll Call of the Blessed Ones. Text by Janos Starker. Drawings by Jorge Sicre., Occidental Press, Washington D.C. (1985). ISBN 0-911050-60-4.
- Von Budapest nach Bloomington. Janos Starker und die ungarische Cello-Tradition., Anna Dalos, Melinda Berlasz, Janos Starker, Janos Breuer, and Peter B. Jacobi, Kronberg Academy Verlag, Kronberg/Taunus (1999). (in German and English) ISBN 3-934395-00-7
- Janos Starker. "King of Cellists". The Making of an Artist, Joyce Geeting, Chamber Music Plus Publishing, Los Angeles (2008). ISBN 978-0-9754734-0-5.
- Artists as Professors. Conversations with Musicians, Painters, Sculptors, Morris Risenhoover and Robert T. Backburn, pp. 171–185 are an interview with Janos Starker. Urbana, University of Illinois Press (1976). ISBN 0-252-00574-0.
External links
- Biographies, audio clips
- "Remembering János Starker," From the Archives, Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Rosenthal Archives, May 1, 2013
- János Starker interview by Bruce Duffie, November 24, 1987
- 2-hour audio interview of Mr. Starker by Louise Dubin, one of his students
- Interview with János starker in Retkes Attila: Zenélő ezredkezdet (Válogatott interjúk, 2000–2003), Nap Kiadó, 2004